The way of Shinobi
by thejuvenile
Summary: Kakashi Hatake, man of a thousand jutsus. Such an infamous man was to receive a genin team. They were high profile, so putting them to extreme lengths was the only way to increase their chances of survival. He would break them, to put them back together. The Leader, the Scout, the Medic, the Diversion, together, they made up team 7, and he would make them formidable.
1. Chapter 1

A/N: Thank you everyone for tuning into my new story ! For a long time I had the idea of a four man team and finally I decided to just do it ! so please please please review and tell me what you think.

Konohagakure, the village hidden in the leaves in the land of fire. It is said they are the most powerful of all hidden villages though the cloud would quickly stand up to challenge that statement. They are ruled over by the Hokage, the man who is recognized as the strongest among them.

Once upon a time the leaf was a peaceful village. The village was built on a foundation that war would cease to exist and children would not be sent off into battle. Sometime after the village came into existence they were attacked by a new village. After they defeated this village another took its place and the cycle continued. It became clear that a life of tranquility could not be achieved.

Konoha grew sick of being hunted, and found they much preferred being the hunters.

They liked to believe they weren't as barbaric as Kumo though. They weren't emotionless monsters, killing and betraying their own. There was no fear instilled in their people. Konoha had morals and values still, and they valued its people and their shinobi's sacrifice. Every heart from Konoha that stands on a battle field knows what they fight for, it is questionable if Kumo could say the same.

While the village is not hidden as well as Kumo who is hidden with clouds or Kiri with mist they still have extensive protection from attacks. There is round the clock guards only done by those who are qualified enough in order to fight high level intruders. Though there presence is more for show. The real work is done by the barrier team. If anything is to penetrate Konoha's barrier they will know instantly, and the guards are already there to react. In addition to this there are hundreds of escape routes, running into the mountain, and underground. It is more than likely that anyone not from the leaf would get lost in the vast tunnels.

Though it is not currently war time Konoha liked to be prepared. While Kiri was currently in a deadly civil war they were still unpredictable, the threat was there. The third shinobi war has been over for a while, but Iwa can come seeking revenge anytime. Tensions have always been high with Kumo, and right now it was just a matter of who would make the first move. The incident all those years ago have not been forgotten.

Konoha had no alliances, they were the strongest and their pride would not allow them to ask for help or give it where they saw it was needed. Besides, it is likely any alliance would end in betrayal anyway.

While Konoha was against alliances they were once open to Peace treaties, though this changed after the Kumo incident. They considered themselves foolish for allowing the incident to take place in the first place. They would not make the same mistake twice. Konoha learned that peace was nothing but a fool's wish, and were prepared for the inevitable.

At the age of four Hinata Hyuga was almost kidnapped by a member of Kumo here as a representative to their peace treaty. The matter was resolved quickly. Within the hour she had been retrieved unharmed and her captor dead.

She was four at the time but she could recall the incident perfectly.

It was the middle of the night and she was sleeping peacefully. Though her eyes flashed open instantly at the sound of floor boards creaking outside her door.

Anywhere else, perhaps this wouldn't bring upon suspicion but she was Hyuga. Her family were light on their feet, experts at moving silently. She could not sense anyone's Chakra which lead her to the assumption that it was being masked. This brought more red flags to her tiny mind.

Why bother completely eliminating your presence among family?

In the Hyuga clan it is highly frowned upon to use one's Byakugan within the compound, unless training.

She activated her's anyway.

The second her Byakugan flashed to life the door to her room was silently opened.

Alarmed at the figure in black she reached for the kunai under her pillow.

She opened her mouth as wide as it would go with the intention to scream.

She never got the chance.

The intruder moved fast, hand quickly wrapping itself around her small mouth.

"No, no, we'll have none of that girl" the man's voice was muffled by his mask but she could sense the amusement in his tone.

Her eyes widened in fear, then narrowed in distrust at the Kumo headband around his forehead.

She gripped the kunai in her tiny sweaty palm and stabbed the hand holding her mouth.

Her mouth was released immediately with a small hiss from the Kumo nin.

"Damnit ! You stupid brat!"

She ignored him and released the scream she had been holding in.

Her voice was cut off immediately when she felt a sharp pain to her head.

Then she saw nothing but darkness.

Later she had awakened to the night's chill and unfamiliar chakra.

They were moving quickly, she noted. There was a faint metallic smell in the air, blood from the masked man's hand. Her captor's chakra was continuously spiking. He was panicking.

That was when she saw it, a blur.

While she could not identify the blur by face, she knew her otosama chakra anywhere, and she felt safe.

Her captor had no time to react as her father came flying at them, fast, and ended his life in a single strike. As the lifeless body fell to the ground she was pulled into his arms.

Before she drifted back off into slumber she saw the look of disgust and hatred on her father's face at the man he just killed.

Following the incident, Kumo demanded the body of the one responsible for killing their shinobi. They claimed they had no part in what took place and that the member was acting on their own, and demanded for us to pay for going back on the treaty. Konoha backed up the Hyuga clan and would not settle, refusing to cower.

They called Kumo's bluff and it worked. For whatever reason, Kumo did not retaliate and initially this raised suspicion. Konoha had been on edge for a long time after this incident, though since then have settled down.

After this her training increased tenfold.

'I will become strong like father and kind like mother'

As Hinata Hyuga thought back on the resolve she made when she was three ,the former seemed entirely in reach, while the latter next to impossible.

That resolve was made before life got more difficult. Before there was more training stacked up on her already busy schedule. Before her mother died in child birth leaving her and her father with baby Hanabi. A typical day for five year old Hinata was to go to classes and learn mathematics, writing, science and history. Then she would be taught on the responsibilities of clan leaders and the history of her clan. Then she would receive classes in etiquette and how to behave like a proper lady, this included learning musical instruments and the art of tea. After that would begin her training in the gentle fist, until literally she would pass out in exhaustion. Then repeat. Then repeat again, and again. The life of an heiress was not easy, but she would not complain.

In the Shinobi world mercy and kindness was seen as a weakness, one that would cost you and your comrades their lives and worst, the mission. Every mission she will take will be done in glory of Konoha, all so her village will be able to continue to thrive and bask in success. Her failures will not be her own. Her failures will be her comrade's failures. Her mistakes will lead in mission failure. Her failures will bring shame to her clan, and last her failures will dishonor Konoha.

Since the day she was born she was denounced to the fate of a shinobi, thus making her life not her own. Nothing she would ever achieve or do will be for herself, and at first that angered her.

Then she thought of glory. Her glory would bring honor to her team, her clan, her village. She would never celebrate success alone, and that made her feel better. The thought that there were people who pushed for and countered on her success made her feel less lonely. She knows lost, more than most her age, though if they aim to become shinobi then they too will know soon.

Hinata Hyuga was a gentle soul, yes, but she would protect her village at any cost. This village was her home, it contained her clan, and everyone held dear to her. She was more than willing to commit heinous acts for the continued survival and happiness of her precious people, in fact she was eager to.

Today at the age of ten she would join the academy. She was two years late, for good reason. The academy starts at age eight and you graduate at twelve, though if you wished to become a skillful shinobi it is crucial to start training younger. Those who were from clan's had the advantage in this department.

She began walking at age one and instantly her motor skills were honed in order to one day master the gentle fist. Her byakugan awakened when she was four which the elders found as a favorable sign. As a result of this early training she had good balance, was unnaturally flexible and had good posture. She was told that despite her not being born male she was otherwise all her father could ask for in his first born. Though she could be a bit shy at times. She was strong, so much so that the Hyuga rejoiced in the arrival of their second prodigy. The other was her cousin Neji, just a year older. With the arrival of the prodigies, their rivalry with the Uchiha reached a peak, the Hyuga had boasting rights with their two prodigies to their one.

Itachi Uchiha accomplishments was all they had in order to save face. The Uchiha argued the value of quality to quantity. They firmly believed that neither of the two Hyuga prodigies would ever amount to half of Itachi's potential. Though In secret the Uchiha put pressure on the younger son, Sasuke. Instantly there focus shifted to Sasuke when they realized the boy's potential. He was not as strong as Itachi was at his age but he was a prodigy. Thus the Hyuga and Uchiha began the battle of the prodigies.

With one final kick to the open air Hinata finished her morning training, done going through her kata, the basic movements to her gentle fist.

Quickly she went through several hand signs and mouthed "Summoning: Senshi" while she was at the stage in her training where she no longer needed to mouth the words, it was a habit.

Besides her appeared a black miniature form of the prideful wolf she knew as Senshi.

Senshi was a wolf, the last of his kind.

"Child, I thought I asked of you to stop making my appearance so…..miniature" he said the word with distaste.

She giggled into her hand. When she summons him it's mostly for company, or to practice fighting together. When it's for company she likes his miniature form, he just looked so cute, like a pup!

His true form was huge. The first time she had summoned him, when she was eight, she had stared up in amazement at the beautiful, majestic, specimen in front of her that was nearly five times her height!

"Ah gomen Senshi, I'm still learning to control your form" she smiled a big wide smile and they both knew she was lying.

The wolf sighed, the only thing that kept him from complaining was the look of bliss on her face.

Together they walked to her room, Hinata needing to change clothes. On the way she told him about the importance of today and what it meant for their futures.

The typical age when the main house are given their summoning contract was eight. She was supposed to contract with the wolverine, though things clearly did not go as planned that day.

As she walked into the academy she ended her reminiscing. Her ears picked up laughter and rapidly talking voices.

She evaluated her surroundings. It was like being in a shark tank, alone. Except not surrounded by sharks but children. She firmly refused her father and elders wish that she have an escort and as uncomfortable as she was she didn't regret that decision.

She eyed all the groups of children happily conversing with envy.

She was Hyuga so all she knew was family. She wanted to make friends.

Hyuga's weren't the best at socializing. They were uptight and overly polite. There 'I'm better than you attitude' made it so they had difficulty dealing with people who weren't in their clan, so they weren't good at the whole treating people how you wanted to be treated thing.

The Hyuga preferred the quiet, and so did Hinata. So enjoyed peace and she hoped that whatever friends she made could enjoy it with her.

Her left side picked up on sudden movement and she twirled around to meet the instructor her and her father had a meeting with.

Iruka sensei was a chunin and not much stuck out about him other than the large slash like scar placed on the bridge of his nose, its length from one eye to the other.

"Ah Hinata, I'm glad you made it on time" He smiled at her.

Her manners kicked in immediately. She gave a slight bow in return, and said "Hai, sensei"

He smiled again and began making their way toward the classroom.

As they were walking she regarded the empty hallways, everyone must be in the classroom already. She silently cursed her situation, she would now make a scene.

"This is the classroom Hinata, after your evaluation it was decided you be put with the third years, most are your age or older."

The academy was four years long and while that seemed a little short it was a rigorous program. It was highly competitive and drop outs and fails were frequent. One could not enter the academy without recommendation, clan ties or showing promise.

When it was known she would enter the academy she had hoped it would be as a fourth year, she wanted to graduate a year early. She could be with her cousin Neji and while highly unlikely she could have been placed on the same team as him. She wanted to begin her career as quickly as possible but her father and the elders had other thoughts. As emotionless as everyone made her clan out to be, they took care of their own. They were not the Uchiha clan who pushed their prodigy into a life of death at the age of six. They had done the same to Neji.

If they evaluated her as not ready, then she was not.

Keep your head held high, posture straight, and make eye contact, she chanted to herself. You are Hyuga, you will behave as such. You will show no fear.

When the door opened she began to breathe quicker. Oh and no thumb fiddling absolutely no thumb fiddling she quickly added.

Once the classroom was open she was revealed to the many children who were not paying attention. It appeared they had entered from the back. All of the children's backs were turned toward them. She listened to all the bickering, laughter and …crying? Yes a girl was crying in a corner. Iruka sensei made his way to the front of the classroom, glancing back and giving her a sheepish smile.

The children still did not notice her presence and this made her question their ninja abilities. In two years they would be graduating after all. Two boys who had been wrestling on the floor rolled into her path and she side stepped them, quickly moving to catch up to sensei.

When he reached the front of the podium he did nothing but stand there and wait for the children to be quiet on their own.

Hinata observed the large classroom, with about fifty students in it. She had done her research before she came. The ones from prominent clan families, she knew. She had either met them or have been spoken to about them.

There was a boy with a high collared shirt and black shades. She could not see much of his profile but she noted his skin was pale. This combined with his spiky black hair and the few Kikaichu she seen around the room led her to his identity.

Shino Aburame, heir to the Aburame clan. If the Hokage chooses to make a scouting team of her graduating class it is likely they would be placed together.

His shades did not give away what he was looking at but she was certain it was her. A tingling on her arm made her look down to see a lone Kikaichu crawling on her skin. She looked up again steering her gaze at Shino. It would seem that he's one of the more competent children in her class. She would not underestimate him.

On the right side of the classroom a blond girl was yelling at a pink haired girl beside her, who was frankly ignoring her. She eyed the girl's vibrant pink hair with interest before her eyes settled on the blonde. It was Ino Yamanaka, heiress to the Yamanaka clan. They would be the only two heiresses in this class. The elders regarded her as a suitable companion for her to have. She felt her cheeks heat up at the thought of making friends.

She was very loud though, she concluded. Then she winced as the pink haired girl had enough of Ino's bantering and started yelling back, their faces red with anger. She vaguely wondered what they were so worked up about before her attention drifted.

She eyed a rather large boy happily munching away on chips. She allowed one single brow to raise in reaction to the gross display of him shoving them down his throat, crumbs flying everywhere. The swirls on his cheeks….he was without a doubt Chouji Akimichi. She looked away before she lost her breakfast. For an heir he had poor manners.

The classroom didn't appear to quiet down the least bit at the presence of their sensei. The man beside her appeared to be quietly seething at the impression she was getting. She was wondering if he had the student's respect and he could sense her questioning his authority.

Eventually a white airplane flying toward sensei's path was the last straw. As it passed his face he reached out quickly grabbing it. His face was flushed with anger as he ripped it to shreds. Then he shouted.

The sound of his angry voice made Hinata let out a surprised little "eep".

"SHUT UP DAMNIT"

The classroom was quiet instantly, all eyes on him, then to her. She tried her best to ignore the hushed whisperings and sets of eyes on her. She compared their gazes to that of the elders. She found comfort in being able to say the elders were much scarier.

Iruka sensei smiled at his handiwork.

"Now class, welcome to your third year of the academy. As you can see we combined last year's two classes into one because we lost a lot of kids. There are roughly fifty of you in here. After this year those numbers will be cut into roughly half. Half of you will either leave due to personal circumstances or fail." He took a moment to let that sink in.

"You have a new classmate, treat her fairly" he nodded at Hinata and she took her Que.

She took a step forward and straightened her back. Her father told her first impressions were important. She held her head up in pride and said in a clear voice,

"I am Hinata Hyuga, I look forward to getting to know all of you"

She looked to Iruka sensei for further instruction. He motioned for her to find a seat and she spotted one toward the back.

As she walked up the stairs she made eye contact with Sasuke Uchiha. Her eyes widened in surprise after seeing his obsidian eyes in so long. He looked away first with disinterest.

She hadn't seen him in years, except passing glances around the village. The last time they had been in such close proximity was a meeting between the clans when they were seven. The meetings were long and boring but she endured them. She had Neji there with her suffering as well. Neij's father died when he was one and his mother passed on foul play on what should have been a simple mission. As a result Neji was taken under her father's wing. At the time he was eight. The elders didn't put up a fuss since he's been branded since Hinata was three. After that meeting her busy schedule kept her from attending, so her father started bringing only Neji.

Uchiha Fugaku usually only brought Itachi but on that one occasion he brought Sasuke and then continued to, until the massacre.

Not including those meetings the last time they'd seen each other was when they were five. Back when they would spar.

She sat down at a window seat mind swirling in memories.

Hinata recalled all the matches she had when she was younger with Sasuke. Sasuke always lost to Neji, and with that they stopped the matches between them. Her five year old mind could not comprehend this though, she herself had just as many losses as victories against the Uchiha but she was capable of beating Neji every now and then in spars, so why couldn't Sasuke.

She realized that she pitied the Uchiha who would forever be in the shadow of his older brother. After Sasuke suffered a devastating loss at her hands she watched as her father thanked Uchiha Fugaku for the spar and made on his way, her following without hesitation. She had been sore and out of breath but the pat on her head from her otosama made her exhaustion disappear instantly. That was all the praise she would receive, but it was all she needed.

The head of the Uchiha did not wait for them to leave before he began to belittle the boy. That was when she realized all along those losses had nothing to do with her ability to fight, but pity.

When she would lose to the Uchiha she would kneel with her head bowed in shame in the presence of her father and the elders. She would listen to everything she did wrong, and she would take it seriously. How her stance was sloppy, how her aim wasn't precise enough, or how she hesitated and this cost her the match.

Every defeat she faced against the Uchiha gained her more midnight sessions with father and new bruises. She was only five but training was the only life she knew. With these thoughts in mind she tried to push thoughts of pity out her mind. Not only was it a weakness an enemy could exploit but she was doing her sparring partner a disservice to not give her all. The little Hyuga yearned for her father's approval just as much as her opponent, and she chose to be selfish. She wished to bask in her father's acceptance. He was everything she aimed to be, the strong respected leader of the Hyuga clan. His nods of approval and head pats kept her going. Every time she received them she made sure it would not be the last.

Hiashi Hyuga was not an affectionate man. He was the perfect individual to represent Hyuga, proud and emotionless. What little affection he had went to his wife and their daughter. When her mother passed giving birth to her sister Hanabi his affection disappeared completely.

Hiashi believed showering his daughters with words of encouragement was meaningless. Luckily for him his methods didn't backfire. Hinata was patient, observant and understanding. She was truly her mother's child. Even though Hanabi was rash and impatient she resembled Hiashi more.

Hinata admitted words of encouragement would be nice, but they were not needed. Her father was a busy man and he would not waste his time on grooming her if he didn't have confidence in her abilities. She understood that very well.

After years of trying to beat her compassion out of her he stopped. He sat her down to explain that she could keep the emotion but not in combat. A good leader had some compassion, but also knew when to be cold and calculated. The battlefield was no place for it.

As his child she would not disappoint him nor waste his time.

Immediately following this she never lost to the Uchiha again and with little explanation the Uchiha eventually put an end to their sparring matches.

With that the two prodigies of Hyuga both put an end to the little prodigy of the Uchiha.

Neji was a suitable sparring partner for her. He was close in age and despite their close relationship they held professionalism expected of them. They pushed one another to their breaking points. Hinata tested Neij's patience with slow thought out battles and he in turn toughened her up with painful attacks.

Neji was larger than her and as result stronger. Where he used brute strength she used wit in order to compete with him. If he were to hit her it would do twice as much damage as her hits to him. She was careful, and planned ahead, no move on her part was wasted. Neji was overwhelmingly fierce and never let up. When sparring with him it's best to draw out the fight and let him make a mistake. He was faster and stronger but she had superior reflexes and flexibility that allowed her to dodge attacks at the last minute in weird angles. This allowed her to retaliate and deliver unexpected blows.

Where Neji was firm, she was graceful, their moves flowed naturally.

Two talented Hyuga engaged in combat is a rare sight to outsiders. There fluid motions and attacks appeared so in sync one could mistake it for a dance. Unfortunately for many, spars within the Hyuga clan were not open to outsiders. Neji and Hinata spars were even more private. Only the instructors and occasionally her father and elders watched in on them. Hinata takes pride in her gentle fist, her clan's technique truly befitted her.

She tried her best to focus on Iruka sensei. He was in charge of core education like mathematics, science, reading, writing, etc. Though he also talked about the basics of things they would later go into depth with sensei's who had their specialties. Right now he was talking about common poisons and antidotes. She was already familiar with these teachings. If she was as ahead as she suspected it would be wise for her to bring a book from now on.

She sighed and decided to people watch.

One boy she found of interest who repeatedly interrupted Iruka sensei had bright yellow hair. He reminded Hinata of the sun.

She preferred the moon.

The boy was much too bright in his orange jumpsuit, just a tad obnoxious and goofy. Though Hinata admitted she found his antics to be entertaining.

Up next was a boy sleeping without a care to the world. He was Shikamaru Nara, his black spiky hair gave it away. What a lazy clan she thought humorously.

After a few hours of observing people the lecture ended.

"Okay class what you're going to do now is taijutsu training. Can someone please refresh the class on the proper definition of taijutsu?"

Hands went up and the girl with the pink hair was among them. She eagerly waved her hand around until finally sensei called on her.

"Go ahead Sakura"

She stood up from her seat, flashing a pearly white smile before she began her definition.

"Taijutsu is hand to hand combat sensei. It refers to any techniques involving the martial arts or the optimization of natural human abilities. It's executed with physical and mental energies relying on a mixture of stamina, strength, flexibility, speed, and reflexes. Though it is not necessary you use all. Some people rely heavily on one more than the other and may leave out some entirely." she recited.

"Very go-"he was cut off as the girl kept going.

"There are many styles and poses one can choose to use. Taijutsu typically requires no chakra or hand seals to perform but there are instances where chakra is used to enhance techniques. An example can be seen with the gentle fist." At this point she turned to Hinata, narrowing her eyes at her.

It was as if the girl was challenging her.

Hinata narrowed her eyes back, two could play this game. She would accept her challenge. It would seem this girl, Sakura, was someone she should consider of interest.

"Okay class dismissed, I'll see you guys after you're done."

Everyone made their way up out of their seats. We have a five minute break before we have to report to the training fields to receive lessons from Genga sensei.

Hinata stayed back as everyone filed out the classroom.

"Iruka sensei?" she questioned.

The man was standing at his desk, shuffling some papers into a neat pile.

He looked up at her and smiled. He smiled a lot she noticed.

"Ah yes Hinata?"

"Those windows, are they enforced?" She eyed the windows next to where she was sitting.

He set his papers down to look at her properly. "Yes they are actually"

"I see, thank you" She left him to catch up to the others, never noticing his confused face.

This told her that if she were to ever need to leave the classroom by window then she would need to use a large amount of chakra or explosives in order to break them.

Her teachings taught her that no matter where you go to have multiple escape routes in mind. While she liked the window seat, it was not safe. She was vulnerable to flying glass in a case of an explosion.

She would need to switch to the middle. That way she was equally close to all three exit points. If things ever went south she'd have equal opportunity to escape from the most secure route, whichever it may be.

Sasuke had been sitting in a middle seat as well as the Aburame. It would seem as though they noticed.

When she reached the training ground she examined it. There was no elemental condition's she would be able to take advantage of or that could be used against her. It was just a plain field. Though in the distance she did see a track.

Genga sensei was a man of very small stature with countless scars running across his arms and face to attest to his many years dedicated to the life of a shinobi.

And those were just the scars we could see.

He only taught third and fourth years at the academy. His shinobi career ended decades ago, due to old age. Not many shinobi actually get to retire from active duty because of that. Some Kunoichi end their careers to start families. Most are killed in action, others honorably discharged due to career ending injuries.

Though retirement does not guarantee you a peaceful life. In war time if there is an overwhelming need for shinobi they can be called back into service despite these things. Old age, families and, handicaps would not deter you from being called upon. If you could fight, you would, and you will gladly jump at the chance to be useful to your village.

The third Hokage himself retired before his successor was killed. He had been called back in order to take the seat as the strongest in the village before a new worthy successor revealed itself.

From what she recalled this man's taijutsu was infamous. It's known that he was the teacher of Konoha's green beast, a master in taijutsu. While his genjutsu and ninjutsu weren't bad it was his taijutsu that made him a legend. Genga the small giant is what they called him on the battle field, and she was to learn from such a terrifying man.

She uses a different style of fighting but she was sure she would still be able to take pointers from this man to improve.

The children listened intently for what he would say. The sun focused in a particular spot making his bald head shine. It was really hot today.

The old man was sitting cross legged, mediating. He opened his eyes and observed the sea of children before him and without another sparring glance said, "go run", nodding his head in the direction of the track.

Everyone stared confused, herself included.

"go run until I say stop" he didn't raise his voice but it was clear he would not repeat himself.

Everyone turned in the direction of the track. They all began voicing their complaints and slowly trudged toward it.

Once she reached the gravel track she stretched a bit preparing for a long run.

"Hey girl"

She turned to face what could only be Kiba Inuzuka. She watched in amusement as a white pup popped its head out of the boy's hood to make its presence known. How cute!

"Hai?" she gave him her undivided attention.

"Don't think that you'll be able to come in two years late and show us all up" he sneered and the pup, that now rested on his head barked in agreement.

She sighed, guess she wouldn't be making friends with him anytime soon. A shame since she found his dog to be adorable. She turned away from him with the intent to start her laps before she gave a bad impression to sensei.

"Hey!" he shouted after her

She ran zoning everything out.

They have been running two hours straight from her rough estimation. More than half of the students have dropped out and chosen to hide away in the shade.

Looking around she noticed some of the ones still around. The pink haired girl was still running, as well as Sasuke. Then there was Kiba and his dog racing with the hyper yellow haired boy.

"THIS IS SO STPUID" Ino Yamanaka walked off the track in a huff, she was now out as well.

Hinata was at a cross road. She could sympathize with the Yamanaka, she was anxious to be taught already too. She could see the value in running, yes, it increased stamina, something she had large amounts of already but there was always room for improvement. It strengthened muscles and increased speed. Increased speed… she could admit she wasn't the fastest person, with that in mind she kept running.

After a little while longer Genga sensei finally stopped them.

Everyone crowded around to hear his words.

"I only teach those who show promise, anyone else isn't worth my time" his sharp green eyes pierced the group, the corners crinkling to give away his age.

"If you gave up get out of my sight." His voice was cold, full of disgust.

No one dared to protest. Even the loud Yamanaka left without a peep.

"You two" he pointed to Shino and the orange jumpsuit boy. "Get on the track and race to the finish line. The one who wins stands off from the group"

The boy who she learned name was Naruto, won the race easily. Shino was not very swift on his feet.

Naruto, she thought, the name sounded strangely familiar.

Naruto eagerly gave a high five to one of the boys and she examined the peculiar whisker marks on his face she missed before.

Then it hit her.

Her father had mentioned that the boy who held the nine tailed fox was in her class. Without a doubt this must be him.

Naruto Uzumaki

In other hidden villages the carrier of a demon were feared and exiled.

This was not the case in Konoha. There sacrifice was seen and acknowledged by everyone. They held carriers of the beast in high regard, thanking them for their service, though it was not by choice.

Ten years ago the village was attacked by the nine tailed fox. The beast left nothing but destruction and death. It took Konoha a long time to get over the disaster. They had lost their beloved fourth Hokage, though not before he sealed the beast into a new born child. That child and the Hokage's sacrifice saved us all. Many loved ones were lost that day. Though she never got the chance to meet him, her heart ached out at the thought of the loss of her late Uncle. He gave his life in attempt to stop the beast.

She instantly respected the boy for his burden. Inside of him, he held what was rumored to be the most powerful tailed beast. Though she could not help but notice that while he smiled and laughed it seemed, off.

She did not have time to dwell on those thoughts for it was her turn to race. She stood at the start line. She didn't bother sizing up her opponent.

When she won she headed to the winner's circle.

Eventually there were only a few of them left. Sakura and she were the only girls. Then it was Naruto, Kiba, Sasuke and three other boys she didn't know by name.

Sasuke came back as the winner racing one of those boys who had short brown hair.

Then came back another boy with long blond hair from the two she did not know.

Following them Kiba raced Naruto and won.

It was time for her to race Sakura.

Standing at the line she expected some words from the girl, but none were said. Sparring her a quick glance she appeared to be concentrating.

When the whistle blew they took off.

She would admit that Sakura was fast, but she was faster.

She won.

There were only four of them now. Hinata wondered what the purpose behind this exercise was.

Sasuke came back from beating the blond boy by a large margin. He wasn't even breathing with difficulty.

She was to race Kiba.

He glanced at her side ways and said "let's go Hyuga princess" in a mocking tone.

She did her best to ignore his jab, taking her stance on the starting line and trying to focus. She decided she didn't like him very much.

To her disappointment she lost, he was faster, barely, but faster.

She panted lightly, eyes in a glare at the Inuzuka. She wanted to wipe the high and mighty look off his face.

The only thing that made her feel a bit better was that after that Sasuke beat him, easily. Thus knocking the smug look off his face.

All this lesson did was prove what she already knew. That she needed to work on her speed.

"In this world there are only losers and winners. Choose which you want to be." She whipped around quickly at the words coming from sensei's mouth.

"You, what is your name?" he looked pointedly at Sasuke for an answer.

"Sasuke Uchiha" he was slightly out of breath but his voice was mellow.

"Over there by the field we will have a one on one match in five minutes, everyone here is welcome to watch and observe"

A one on one fight with sensei…. What an honor. She seethed with jealousy.

She sat down with the rest of her classmates to watch.

In the middle Genga sensei and Sasuke stood a decent ways apart from each other, ready.

Then they bowed and the fight began.

"Decent stance, though lift your elbows a bit more" Genga sensei nodded in approval when Sasuke repositioned his stance.

It would appear that Genga sensei's taijutsu was molded around speed and strength though he clearly toned his abilities down for this match.

Genga sensei was attacking while Sasuke was on the defensive. The old man was just a tad bit taller than him. If one glanced the pair over quickly they might be mistaken as classmates sparring.

Sasuke did his best to defend and attack where he saw openings.

Then the boy dodged what would have been a ruthless punch to his face. Sensei's over extended fist gave him the opportunity he was looking for and he went in to attack.

Then suddenly sensei grabbed the hand that attempted to counter him. He pulled the boy closer and repeatedly hit his face until finally he kicked him, the force sending him flying.

He did not land gracefully.

Sensei turned to us.

"A valuable tactic to use in taijutsu is to make your opponent believe there is an opening when there is none. Often one is most vulnerable when they are attacking, this sets you up to get in a blow or even finish off the fight."

He turned his attention back to the boy who was now back on his feet in a shaky stance.

"You leave yourself too open" he tsked and in the next moment he was slamming his knee into Sasuke's open stomach to further emphasize his point.

He jumped away from the boy, giving him a moment to get himself together.

Sasuke's mouth opened in a silent scream, then he closed it wiping the trail of blood that began forming in the corner.

This went on for a while. Sensei would let Sasuke attack and defend then point out to him his mistakes or to us valuable tactics.

Then finally sensei ended the fight with a crackling kick to the boy's stomach. By the sound she suspected he had cracked one of Sasuke's ribs.

"You did well" was what he said to a still shakily standing Sasuke, holding his stomach, refusing to accept defeat. The next second he was behind Sasuke chopping the back of his neck.

The Uchiha fell in a heap and did not get up.

Genga Sensei turned to us and said "Lesson over".

She tried her best to examine Genga sensei's method of teaching.

Those who stopped running were sent back to the classrooms, denied a lesson. Everyone who continued to run on the track got to listen in to his criticism and watch the match. Though the winner of the races won a one on one match with him. There is no better way to learn than actual execution.

She understood his lesson immediately. You received what you worked for. Her effort only allowed her a seat to watch.

Hyuga are competitive. She wanted to make friends, but not at the expense of her education. She did not wish to lose.

Next time it would be her in the one on one fight with sensei.

That Friday when it was time for taijutsu lessons with Genga sensei Hinata ran the track mind entirely focused. What came next was not a competition of speed but dodging. They would run the track and Genga sensei would throw blunted kunai at them until one remained.

It came down to her and Sasuke and she won.

When it was clear she was the last one standing Genga sensei asked her for her name and she responded "Hinata Hyuga sensei".

Hinata was rewarded with her one on one match with Genga sensei in which frankly she was beaten into a bloody pulp, and she couldn't have been happier.

In her bloody bruised state she had still been able to offer her sensei a wobbly bow as thanks for the spar.

Later that day she would return home and meet her father in the dojo. Her father would complain about the state of her appearance and how it was unsightly for a Hyuga. Though he relented when he asked where the nature of her injuries came from and she would excitedly describe her fight with sensei. He supposed it was fine for her to train with this sensei of her's as long as her injuries didn't hinder her from training in the gentle fist properly.

Hinata has been at the academy for a few weeks now and she's come to learn some things.

As of right now Sasuke Uchiha was the leading rookie among their class, closely following him was Shino Aburame. Though not for long if she had anything to do with it.

Sakura Haruno and Ino Yamanaka were rivals, vying for the spot as top Kunoichi. Sakura herself was a civilian. The fact that she had reached this far was impressive, the girl was currently in the lead, always had been from what she's heard and had no intentions on giving away that spot anytime soon. She was in the running for rookie of the year but she would be a more serious contender if she improved her taijutsu and ninjutsu.

When it came to standard test scores Sakura was in the lead followed by Sasuke then Shino. The Haruno was like a book, putting to memory everything she seen and read. She was very intelligent, so much that Hinata was excited to see how she'd compare. Though if the lazy Nara gave any ounce of effort at all he would easily crush them all in that department.

Taijutsu was ruled over by Sasuke, Kiba, and strangely Naruto. Though if you could motivate Chouji he was decent. Sasuke was a natural, like her, training in this department since he could walk. Kiba by himself was a decent opponent but coupled with Akamaru they were formidable.

Naruto Uzumaki had potential. His stamina and chakra reserves were plentiful, but he lacked control and technique. His taijutsu was sloppy and unrefined, but also unpredictable.

He hit hard.

Hinata thought back to the spar she had with the boy. She won but it made her think of what the boy could be capable of. While she could not predict his moves she could easily dodge them.

She had dodged a very obvious kick beginning to wonder if this was all the boy had in him. Then he threw a punch at her that came out of nowhere. She had moved to dodge but it still grazed her shoulder. Immediately following this she flipped him onto his back, angling a kunai at his throat, thus ending the match.

The punch reminded her of her niisan, she could only imagine the full effects of it.

She had been careless.

Kunai and shuriken aim was led by Sasuke, Ino, and a boy named Kairi. Sasuke was a perfectionist, kunai or shuriken always hitting its mark. Even on his off days he manages to hit majority of bull's eye.

Ninjutsu was led by Sasuke, Shino and surprisingly Shikamaru. Shikamaru could hide his genius ways by sleeping during tests but he could not refuse to participate in ninjutsu class.

Lastly was Genjutsu once again lead by Sasuke, Sakura, and then Shino. Nobody particularly stood out in this field though Sakura did express interest. Though when Sasuke finally unlocks his sharingan it'll become his area of expertise.

In two weeks they would begin the tests for the new results on who leads each group. It was time to make her mark.

Today the girls and boys were separated. The girls had received seduction classes and the boys acting classes. Subtleness is a necessary trait for a shinobi to know.

Seduction classes left Hinata with what seemed to be a permanent blush on her cheeks. As an heiress it wasn't very likely that she'd ever receive such a mission though she couldn't help but think what if. She could be raped or under circumstances that leave her with no other choice than to use her womanly assets to get out.

She hoped that if it came down to it she'd be strong enough to give up that part of herself. Though if it saved her life or potentially her comrades or the mission, she thinks she would.

She's fully aware that when she becomes of marrying age her clan will debate over suitors, picking the one that seemed to pose the most benefit for the clan. When that time comes she will be expected to be untouched. Her heart saddened at the thought of never being able to marry for love, but duty.

She sighed to herself, it was time for taijutsu matches.

Everyone was in a frenzy over today's first match. She herself would not be battling today, much to her disappointment.

It would be Sasuke vs Kiba.

Kiba easily fitted in with all the boys, he was easy to get along with and the first to get chosen to play games. He had the support and backing of all the guys in the class. They wanted him to crush Sasuke.

While Sasuke's cold and distant personality made him unfavorable to the boys he was a hit with the girls. They cheered him on while confessing their undying love. Some didn't take their future careers as shinobi seriously letting drama and boys get in the way. How foolish.

"KICK HIS BUTT SASUKE"

and it would seem Ino Yamanaka was among them as a fangirl.

To the distance away from everything about to go down was Sakura Haruno sitting on a bench.

She couldn't stop thinking that this was a good opportunity and with heat in her cheeks and a racing heart she made her way over to her.

Sakura looked up from her book at her approaching footsteps.

Hinata had decided to make her way over to her but didn't plan anything beyond that.

The result was them awkwardly staring at each other.

Finally, Sakura had enough and asked "well, did you need something?"

"Are you going to watch the match?" was the only thing that crossed her mind to say.

"No, the result is clear. Besides, what is it to you?" the pink haired girl raised an eyebrow in suspicion.

It was true, Sasuke would win the match, easily in fact.

"Who are you rooting for, Sasuke?" She questioned, tilting her head.

"Hah no. I'm not one of his little fangirls, I don't have time to waste on boys."

Hinata found herself vigorously nodding in agreement.

"Besides…" The Haruno continued "If it were possible I'd want them both to lose".

Then she slammed her book shut and got up, heading in the direction of the classroom.

"W-wait" She called after her, thumbs fiddling with each other.

Sakura waited patiently.

"I was wondering if maybe we could be friends." She had cut to the chase and squeaked out the word 'friends'.

She shut her eyes scared of the girl's reaction.

Out of all the girls in the academy she found herself most drawn to Sakura. While her clan thought it'd be beneficial for her to be friends with Ino, she didn't really want to. Ino had potential but her fangirling held her back from unlocking it. Besides that she was always involved in drama and talking badly about other females she called her friends. Hinata didn't have much experience in that department but she was sure that was something you shouldn't do. Sakura was smart and quite capable. Her career as a shinobi came first and that was something she could relate to. She could actually see a rival in Sakura, pushing and bettering each other.

Sakura Haruno stared at her for a while before finally she turned around.

"I don't have time to waste on friendships either" and with that she was on her way.

Hinata opened her eyes watching the girl's long pink hair swish as she moved.

Rejection hurt.

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The cherry blossom tree's petals were almost completely gone. They all lay on the ground, wilting and blowing away with the wind. Fall was upon them.

It was October now and Hinata has been at the academy for two months. She found that being from a prestigious clan hindered her ability to make friends.

She was painfully aware of how everyone in the class viewed her, and it was not favorably.

Except a select few, the civilians in her class were too scared to get near her, afraid of angering her which they thought would lead to the wrath of her clan.

Anyone from prestigious clans regarded her as a rival, hence making her a threat. No one wants to fraternize with the enemy.

The boys hated that she could beat them easily.

The girls for what she could not fathom why, hated her. Though they would at least wait till she left the room before they talked about her.

They cringed while they talked about her creepy white eyes.

Though if they looked a little closer they could see they actually resembled lavender more.

With sass in their voices they regarded her stuck up attitude.

They did not consider the possibility that she was a little shy.

Then they would complain about how everything in her life was handed to her on a silver platter.

They did not know about her countless, sleepless nights in which she worked for everything she had.

Hinata dried her hands on her handkerchief and left the bathroom.

It was lunchtime and she usually ate her bento in the classroom.

As she prepared to walk back into the class she stopped at the sound of voices.

"She just thinks she's so much better than us, like who does she think she is."

"and her eyes are like a ghost ! So gross!"

"Haha their even worse when she has the Byakugan on…ew"

Then they all laughed together.

She felt her stomach drop.

Hinata was a patient person. She understood why these girls were making fun of her. It was because they could not accept their own incompetence. She had allowed herself to be the scape goat for too long.

If her father seen how she was letting them disrespect her he'd be ashamed.

With that in mind she opened the door, walking in.

All the boys in the classroom were gone, probably off to play sports or train. She planned on finishing her lunch quickly so she could train as well.

There was seven of them huddled together, Ino the ring leader of the group. There magazines and lunches remained untouched. As she suspected, they stopped talking the moment she walked in.

She marched up the stairs and instead of taking a seat steered her path towards the group of girls. They looked up at her arrival.

"Yes Hinata?" Ino spoke with fake innocence.

Hinata didn't allow herself to be pulled in by the fake kindness in her tone.

"I pity you." She spoke up suddenly. Then she looked into the face of each girl so they knew the statement was addressed to them all.

"Excuse me?!" Ino shrieked. Her eyes narrowed into slits, daring the Hyuga to repeat herself. She was cocky because she had the backing of her group of friends. Though Hinata looked to each of them noticing there silence.

"I pity all of you. Your skills are mediocre at best, and you all have little hope of graduating." she repeated directing her sentence toward all the girls except Ino. They were silent with no retort, they didn't dare make eye contact.

"You, Yamanaka-san" She spit out the honorific in sarcasm. "You will probably graduate but it is questionable whether you'll ever become a competent ninja. You will likely get yourself or your teammates killed." She shrugged, as if thinking it over and said "Or both"

The girl seethed silently in her seat. Till finally she jumped up leaving the room, her band of followers at her heels. Hinata, who was surprisingly pleased with herself sighed in relief and made her way over to her seat to enjoy her lunch.

Sticking up for herself was actually much easier than she thought it'd be and she wondered why she hadn't done such a thing sooner.

She sat down, carefully unwrapping the white cloth from her bento. Folding it neatly in half then once again she placed it next to her lunch. Then she snapped her chopsticks in half before shockingly dropping them. Right there in front of her was Sakura Haruno who appeared to be reading the whole time.

Did she have tunnel vison so bad that she failed to notice her?

 _Oh no, what if she thinks I'm a horrible person now?_ She thought with despair, quickly losing her apatite.

She put her lunch away, and decided to go train for the rest of the hour lunch period.

When it was almost time for class to start she made her way back with a skip in her step. While yes, training was brutal she enjoyed it! It calmed her nerves and emptied her mind to everything going on around her. It was almost therapeutic.

For the second time that day she found herself stopping short of the door because of voices.

"She's such a stuck up little bitch I tell you! Like how dare she talk to me like that?"

Hinata listened closely and she heard sounds of agreement.

"How about you all just shut up, I can't study with your gossiping" an irritated voice called out.

"Oh please Sakura, why don't you join us, after all it's clear she's going to beat you for top Kunoichi" Ino Yamanaka called out in a matter of fact voice.

"Unlike you all I'm not going to complain about someone being stronger than me. I won't just stand around and let myself be surpassed. You're all pathetic."

Following those words there was some shuffling and angry shouts. Hinata unconsciously found herself leaning closer to hear better. Though her eyes squinted in frustration, she couldn't understand what was being said.

Then the door opened swiftly, revealing Sakura.

Hinata's shocked eyes met her sharp teal gaze. She didn't sense her coming…?

"Oh I-I" she stuttered out, caught by surprise. She opted to look at the floor as she tried to get her words out.

The Haruno walked away not giving her a chance to speak.

Then suddenly she was hit with a startling thought.

Did Sakura Haruno stick up for her?

"Thank you" she called out after the girl, bowing. Her long dark hair flowed out like a curtain trying to reach the floor.

Sakura turned around intent on telling her off. Then she faltered at the sight of the Hyuga's warm smile as she came up from the bow.

"I- It wasn't for you, their just annoying." She sputtered out and Hinata could have sworn there was some color on her cheeks but before she could say for sure she was gone, going in the direction of the bathroom.

Hinata's smile widened and her insides tingled with warmth.

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"and that strategy can allow you to get in a surprise attack dealing damages to the enemy and retreating away with no harm to you and your team. Any questions?" Iruka-Sensei finished up with the lesson.

Hinata Hyuga eyed a Kikaichu moving about the classroom no doubt belonging to the Aburame, at the moment it being way more interesting than the lecture she already knew. Her book of basic Ninjutsu lay forgotten, finished an hour ago.

Shino was a loner in the class. She couldn't necessarily tell if this was by choice or not. The girls found his bugs to be creepy, but she certainly didn't mind, nor did the boys. She wondered vaguely if she should attempt to be friends with him. It was clear that he saw her as a rival though, so would her efforts be in vain?

"but sensei isn't that a cowardly attack?" Kiba Inuzuka spoke up. She looked up to the back of the classroom to the Inuzuka who hadn't even bothered to raise his hand.

"Cowardly you say?" Iruka-sensei gripped his chin and closed his eyes as if pondering what to say.

"The word cowardly is in the eyes of the beholder. You yourself may consider attacking such a way as cowardly but…." He opened his eyes, "…. a raise of hands on who doesn't?"

Hinata raised her hand without hesitation, glancing around the classroom to see who else agrees. She saw Sasuke's and Sakura's hands go up as well as Shino and several others. She wondered briefly what Shikamaru thought. Her eyes wandered over to his sleeping form and she thought of course he'd be sleep.

"Sensei were ninja though! Aren't we suppose to act honorably?!" Naruto spoke up, confusion in his voice and written all over his face. Several people nodded to show they agreed.

"Act honorably… tell me what exactly about a shinobi makes them honorable" he questioned.

Hinata listened closely to all the various answers being shouted out.

"We risk our lives!"

"We protect the citizens"

"We do missions that make money for the village"

"We go to war?"

"Listen everyone…." Iruka sensei hushed everyone, his face deadly serious. "We are shinobi, fighting for the protection of our village and its continued survival, which alone makes us honorable. As leaf shinobi once we take a step out of this village we don't know if we'll ever see it again. We could even be attacked now, in the comfort of our home"

"But aren't we suppose to fight our enemies on fair grounds coming out on top" a boy called out from the back of the classroom.

What a ridiculous notion Hinata thought, when is a fight ever on fair grounds?

Iruka seemed to ignore the comment and agreements that came with it, and continued his speech.

"Using such tactics does not make you cowardly. Not using such a tactic when that would warrant the best results makes you stupid. Would you all seriously face an enemy head on putting the lives of you and your comrades in danger? Then to be defeated by such enemies and them to potentially later attack your home? Have I taught you nothing?" He was slightly out of breath from his speech, his tone deadly.

"And if you allow yourself to give up such an opportunity leave this classroom now because I don't want someone so foolish fighting to protect my home."

The man's face softened "Once we choose to put on our headbands…" he pointed a thumb at the one resting on his forehead and Hinata slowly traced the leaf symbol with her eyes. "…..Do you think enemy shinobi care that they have you outnumbered, odds seven to one? That they'll give you a handicap because you're a genin and themselves a jounin? As Shinobi we expect the unexpected and this includes a surprise attack. It's in our nature to look for weaknesses to exploit. We are shinobi and EVERYTHING is fair game. Why you may ask? Because we are fighting to protect this village and all the lives in it. You should not care how you go about doing it."

Everyone in the classroom was quiet.

"You guys have ninjutsu training with Funeno sensei in fifteen minutes. I'll leave you to think things over. I just hope you guys understand what being a shinobi means before it's too late."

With that he left us to mull over his words.

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"The first two years of your education required you guys to understand chakra and how to manipulate it. Last year you guys learned the bunshin no jutsu and uh most of you have the hang of it." He laughed awkwardly and the students joined in. Hinata couldn't help but wonder briefly if there was an inside joke she wasn't in on.

In that very minute several boys burst into laughter and one of them patted Naruto on the shoulder.

"It's okay man…. one day you'll get the hang of it!" he said in between giggles.

Naruto forced a laugh out "Yep I definitely will, BELIEVE IT." He shouted out to everyone watching and finished with a cheesy bright smile.

Hinata couldn't help herself form cringing at the horrible display of acting he just put on. It was pretty obvious by his body language that he was uncomfortable being the joke.

Sensei smiled at the boy nodding approvingly at his "never give up attitude". Funeno sensei was probably somewhere around his late thirties. From the gossip Hinata had been able to gather he was a Chunin and that was unfortunately all he would ever amount to. It was found that he was great with kids while standing in for another sensei years ago. He was very mellow and patient and so the kids loved him. He focused on teaching them ninjutsu. He wore a bandana head protector and had a small brown goatee. She found that he had an odd habit of biting his nails.

"Yes, you will get it eventually. In addition to that you guys have been taught the Henge no jutsu, and while some of you guys are more flawless than others for the most part you have it down. Good job. Then there was the Kawrarimi no jutsu, I was very pleased with everyone's progress on that one."

Majority of the students beamed at sensei's praise. Before leaving the academy it is typically expected of them to know these E rank jutsu's and the beneficial D rank ones. If you couldn't you had to either get a pass from higher up or learn a similar jutsu.

"Well today I'm going to be teaching you all…." Sensei intentionally paused for suspense, "….tree climbing!" he exclaimed excited followed by laughter that stopped suddenly when he realized no one joined in his excitement.

Majority of the students whispered to each other in confusion not understanding sensei's excitement.

The man furrowed his brows and pouted. "You guys don't want to learn how to climb trees with no hands…only chakra?! Don't you know that traveling by trees is the fastest way? You'll be doing a lot of it once you graduate…." He trailed off trying to garner some excitement.

His efforts were not in vain.

"Climbing trees with only chakra ? How sensei ?!"

"Haha I thought he meant climbing trees with hands"

"Me too"

"Well then how do we do it?"

"So cool!"

The group bustled with conversation all excited to learn how to do the exercise.

The man laughed, happy once more and eager to teach the children how.

"You see, tree climbing is a training method used to help with chakra control. It's very useful seeing as how you'll be using it your whole ninja careers." He nodded matter of factly.

"Now, I will demonstrate for you all"

All of the children's eyes widened in amazement and there were echoes of "woahhs" as sensei proceeded to leisurely climb up a tree, without the use of his hands.

Then because that was not enough, he then hung upside down from a branch, appearing very pleased with himself.

After slowly walking back down he made his way back over to the children.

"Now you have to understand. If you use too much chakra the tree will reject you, too little and you will fall off. It is all about finding the perfect balance. Now go !" he eyed the children with content as they all ran off to the nearest tree, eager to attempt the tree exercise.

Then he looked on in surprise at the small group that remained.

In front of him except for Sakura were all children from clans. He understood immediately.

"You guys already know it huh? It's to be expected I suppose…..Well how about the water walking exercise?"

Except for Sasuke and herself everyone shook their heads.

With a quick 'I'll be right back' and wink sensei made his way over to a small pond with the rest following. Ino, Shino, Shikamaru, Chouji, Kiba and Sakura were whisked away to go learn the exercise.

She eyed the last Uchiha besides her. Other than spars they had no contact what so ever and out of them he wouldn't even spare her a glance. Even now he looked off into the distance, appearing bored with the whole world.

Once sensei returned she hoped he could teach her something interesting.

"Do you guys know your chakra affinities?"

When he received identical head shakes he sighed in relief.

"Welp everyone you see has a chakra affinity to one of the five basic elements. You can determine your affinity with this special slip of paper" Here he carefully removed a couple pieces of paper, taking care to not touch them.

"Most people end up mastering their affinity, though really experience jounin and ninja often master two, which is way more difficult."

"Okay you'll want to release just a bit of chakra into the paper to learn your affinity. If it waters, your water. If it ignites into flames, fire. Crumpling is lightning, turning to dirt is earth and last but not least splitting in half is wind. Pretty simple right?" He reached out the papers to them, and they took one each.

Hinata's turned damp, and she smiled pleased with her affinity. _Water_ she thought fondly.

Sasuke's on the other hand ignited into flames and whisked away into the air. He nodded, the result seemingly expected.

Fire and water, polar opposites.

"Water, it is calming and cool. Very peaceful. They are known to go with the flow essentially."

Then he turned to Sasuke "Fire, it is a passionate, hypnotic, and destructive affinity. Though it is often misunderstood. They always go with their gut."

"One's affinity is the one people are most inclined to learn, because it's easier to master compared to the other four. Some say it fits the user's personality. While it is rare some people are lucky enough to have a second affinity, it coming almost as naturally as you're first."

He handed them each a second, darker piece of paper.

"The same rules applies like it did for the first…most likely the paper will do nothing, signaling you have no second affinity, this is just to be sure." He explained.

Once again the two children poured a little bit of chakra into the piece of paper.

Lavender eyes met onyx as both papers crinkled simultaneously.

Sensei whistled in appreciation. "Wow! You both have a second affinity, and the same one at that !"

He went on to explain the affinity not noticing that neither child was listening.

They were locked in a death stare with one another, before finally, Hinata looked away in embarrassment.

"Sorry guys my affinity is Earth so I can't really help either of you. I don't know any water or fire techniques myself but I can get you a hold of some scrolls and teach you the basics. The next few weeks that will be what you guys learn while everyone else learns those two exercises."

"Though to start off…. Hinata" Sensei took his foot digging a small hole into the ground and poured some water from his canteen into it. Then he placed the canteen back onto the strap on his waist.

"Try to make a ripple in the water" she nodded, bending to her knees intent on completing her exercise.

"Sasuke…you can focus on making this flame bigger while controlling it" The man pulled out a match, lighting it and handing it to the much smaller boy.

After a few moments Hinata looked up to the sound of Sensei's excited voice.

"Wow Sasuke, good job, I'm surprised you got it on your first try!" the man smiled approvingly at the boy as the tiny flame exploded into a bigger one, clearly being controlled properly. The match itself lay on the ground, not needed as he bounced the fire from one hand to another.

"Hai, I have been used to controlling fire since I was young" Sasuke responded dryly, with a subtle nod.

Sensei nodded, the explanation making sense. Most Uchiha were known to have had the fire affinity anyway. Heck it used to be a coming of age rite in the clan for them to be able to execute the fire ball jutsu young.

Sasuke was extremely talented for his age. Though Hinata was no slouch herself. Looking right now at the two he figured that one of them would no doubt be the rookie of the year when they graduated.

Itachi Uchiha was genius beyond belief. While it was brief and the man is now a renowned traitor, he felt a strange sense of pride being able to say he was such a man's sensei, even if he there wasn't much he actually taught the boy. Sasuke and Itachi were no doubt related. In terms of personality, looks and skills.

Hinata's eyes narrowed and she focused harder on trying to move the water. No wonder the Uchiha was still leading the ninjutsu group over her!

NNNJJJ

Hinata was running late.

After class she went off to find Funeno-sensei to get the scrolls. When she found him he had forgotten to retrieve the scrolls for them. This lead for her to awkwardly stand in his office with Sasuke while he went off to find them.

Hinata felt herself flush at the memory as she ran home, and she attempted to cool herself down with her hand.

She had been standing there, unbeknownst to her at the time, fiddling her thumbs and sneaking glances at the Uchiha. He was perfectly composed, giving away nothing by appearance alone. That was something her father tasked her with improving on. Her body language and facial expressions, they gave away everything on her mind.

She attempted to stand straighter, then she moved to put her hands in her pockets like the Uchiha is doing before she realized, she didn't have any. Instead, she opted for putting them straight by her sides, rigid. She took another peak at Sasuke's face and wondered briefly how she could mimic it.

Unfortunately for her the glances had not gone unnoticed by Sasuke.

"Stop that" he had spat in annoyance.

She decided to feign ignorance. "Stop what?" Her eyes doe like, wide and full of fake innocence. She had been caught and as a result her thumbs fiddled together in front of her. Then she noticed this and forcefully removed them.

"Looking at me, it's getting on my nerves." He clicked his tongue.

Her eyebrows furrowed together before she gave in. "Gomen" she apologized, looking at the floor with interest.

Silence overcame them and she prayed that sensei would hurry.

"I won't lose to you" he spoke up suddenly.

She knew what he was talking about immediately.

"I can't lose to you….so I won't" she responded. She made eye contact and continued it until the boy looked away so he could understand the seriousness in her statement. He smoothed a hand through his hair and shoved it back into the pockets of his blue shorts, nodding.

He expected nothing less from his rival. They were each other's biggest threat to one another in the academy. They both had to win for their own reasons. He understood the pressure she was facing from her clan, once, he had faced the same pressure. Though he would show her no mercy, and for this she was thankful.

"Sasuke I-" she was cut off suddenly as Funeno sensei slammed open the door announcing his arrival.

"I got them!" he exclaimed, a wide smile on his face. Then he looked back and forth between both children, sensing the tension in the air.

Sasuke moved quickly toward sensei as if he was trying to get away from the girl.

"Thank you sensei, if that is all I will be on my way" and with that Sasuke Uchiha had rushed out of the room grabbing two scrolls from sensei's right hand as the man just stared dumbfounded as he left.

"Thank you sensei" Hinata bowed quickly, taking the scrolls from his other hand on her way out the door. She was in a hurry to catch up to Sasuke.

As she raced down the halls she couldn't help but wonder if the Uchiha was avoiding her. It couldn't be that he knew what she was about to say, could it? Never the less as she caught a brief glance of an Uchiha fan embroiled onto the back of a black shirt. No doubt that was Sasuke.

"Sasuke!" she called out once she caught sight of the boy. He turned around his foot tapping the ground quickly, kicking up dust. Was he in a rush to get somewhere?

"What?" he asked impatiently. He had almost got out of the academy gates.

"I was going to ask you…if we could be friends?" she got straight to the point. Her heart was beating a mile a minute, but she was hopeful.

His expression was carefully blank, before finally he responded.

"No"

He left it at that and made on his way.

She sighed wishing in that very moment that she could shrink into herself and disappear completely. How humiliating. She bended down to her knees with her arms wrapped protectively around her head. As if that could stop the blow that had already been struck. First Sakura and now Sasuke, why was making friends so difficult?

She slowly uncovered her arms from her face, standing to her full height. She looked up into the sky and panic slowly overcame her. The sky was painted in dark red and orange hues.

She was late for training with father.

That leaves her to her current situation.

Running.

No. Sprinting.

She was moving quickly. She chose to avoid the crowds by jumping by rooftops. When she got home she would have to quickly change into sparring clothes and rush to the dojo.

A loud crackling sound in the distance, gathered her interest. Though she kept running. After the third time she heard it, she stopped, turning in the direction of the noise.

Curiosity killed the cat, she reminded herself.

Though the loud splintering sound reached her ears again and she jumped off the red rooftop, in the direction of the woods in which she heard the noise.

She arrived to an area full of destroyed trees….everywhere. A flash of yellow hair and she activated her byakugan. It was Naruto Uzumaki. She'd notice that chakra system anywhere.

The wild life had all fled from the area. Everywhere she looked, there were pieces of bark and branches and fallen trees. Some unfortunate ones were still standing with large gaping holes in their bark. Had he caused this?

She watched as the boy attempted to climb up another tree and it literally exploded as he made contact and he went flying, landing roughly. Meanwhile she covered her face from the many splinters that could potentially hit her.

"You're using too much chakra" she spoke up deciding to make her presence known.

The bright boy whipped his head around and jumped up.

"AH I know you! You're in my class…the Hyuga!" he responded cheerily making his way over to her stepping on various branches and trees along the way.

"Hai. I am Hinata Hyuga" she confirmed, making her first name known.

"Naruto Uzumaki, future hokage at your service" he flashed her a brilliant smile and threw his hands behind his head.

That is an admirable goal she thought to herself.

"Um…yes... Well you are using way too much chakra that is why the trees are rejecting you" she decided to point out again. So this whole time since classes were let out he's been practicing the tree climbing exercise? It was nice to know that he took his training seriously.

"Too much chakra? Really? Thanks!" Then the boy preceded to make his way over to another tree and Hinata motioned to leave him to his training.

And then a tree exploded again.

She turned, finding the situation a little amusing. "That was still way too much chakra. You have a lot of it so you probably don't have the best chakra control" she summarized. Then she placed a hand over her mouth in surprise, hoping she hadn't offended him.

The boy was sulking, clearly getting frustrated at his lack of progress.

"How about I tell you when to stop gathering chakra?" she offered her help, preparing for another rejection.

"Really you'd do that? Thanks Hinata!" he accepted her help happily.

She blushed at the welcoming. Maybe she should ask this boy to be her friend? Then she stopped herself before she pushed her luck.

Then she made her way over, eager to help the Uzumaki learn the tree exercise.

Hours later she found herself kneeled, hands sprawled out and face down in her father's study. To put it lightly her father was not pleased with her lack of punctuality. Despite the time he decided that today's lesson would be continued.

She waited for him to leave the room, before she followed, preparing for an especially harsh lesson.

Hinata later awakened to find herself laid out on the floor still in training garb. So she had passed out?

Her father left her here as punishment it seems.

She took a moment to focus on the cold surface of the dojo, liking the coolness to her hot skin. Then she let out a whimper of pain, trying to ignore the throbbing in her left ankle. Her arms were still pretty limp, she would unlock the tenketsu that were sealed once she gathered some strength. Her father had certainly done a number on her.

She couldn't help her mind from wandering. In another life she wondered, if she had been born with little talent, would her life had been simpler?

That day Hinata would miss academy classes.

Three children in particular would wonder about the whereabouts of the Hyuga heiress.


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: Thank you for the reviews last chapter. To clear up some things this will be a team 7 fic and a four man team. That team will be Naruto, Sakura, Hinata and Sasuke. From the description in the summary you guys can probably guess their roles in the team. A lot of you guys were wondering if I would be switching the point of views between chapters and the answer is yes. Originally I planned for it to just be Hinata's point of view but seeing how you guys really wanted me to switch it I will. I can foresee me having some difficulty with the point of view of Sasuke and Naruto but I'm up for the challenge! I had an interesting journey trying to find Sakura's voice. I hope I did her justice and she is portrayed how I would like her to be. I hope with this I can get rid of some of the Sakura hate MANY of us have felt through the series (I know I'm one of them). This chapter is in her point of view, so enjoy and don't forget to review on what you think of her!

"Ah Sakura there you are."

Sakura Haruno turned around upon hearing her name to face who could only be Iruka sensei. Her sharp emerald eyes briefly glanced over his scar then fell to the wide grin on his face.

"I got ahold of those scrolls you were looking for" he continued, grin still wide and present.

Iruka sensei smiled too much, she thought, as she looked at the upturned corners of his lips. He was a nice man and she wondered if he's ever been taken advantage of for it. When his smile widened she thought with certainly, he has. In fact, she wondered if this counted as taking advantage of him.

Her strategy for keeping close relationships with her teachers was to answer their lecture questions any chance she got. Then she would see them after hours for crucial one on one time. She would tell them that she hadn't understood something from the lecture, which of course is a lie and she would watch with mild annoyance as they dive straight into explaining. She would pretend as if a lightbulb went off in her head after they explained and that now everything made so much sense.

Honestly sometimes she wondered how her sensei's could be so gullible. Did they really believe that the person with the highest marks in her year couldn't understand the lectures they were teaching? If Sakura wasn't using such underhanded tactics, she'd be offended they thought her so…..lacking.

Just the other day she did this to Iruka sensei, but she had an ulterior motive. Why would she do this? Because it made sensei feel good about himself and in turn like her. People she noticed, went out of their way to do things for people they liked.

She liked to think that she's mastered the art of manipulation.

She had casually mentioned to sensei these scrolls that she really wanted to read but couldn't get her hands on because she was not a chunin. He told her he'd see what he could do. In her mind victory was already assured, she'd have those scrolls in no time.

As a civilian she did not have access to a lot of scrolls at the library. She wouldn't even be able to look at these ones in particular until she was chunin. Chunin, she thought amusedly, she had not even graduated yet and she was already thinking of the future.

Sakura Haruno was neither optimistic nor pessimistic. She did not over estimate her abilities. She was a realist, and if she was being real with herself there was no doubt in her mind that she would graduate from the academy, with flying colors in fact.

Sakura turned on the charm. Showing off her pearly white teeth she regarded Iruka sensei happily.

"Thank you so much sensei, I can't believe you got them for me, you're the best!" she exclaimed with fake surprise. She knew all along he would get them. Then she let out a little squeal of happiness as he handed the scrolls over to her.

He rubbed the back of his head in embarrassment.

"Don't worry about it, anything for one of my favorite students" here he leaned a little closer and winked as if this was only a secret between the two of them, and with a casual wave he was walking into the classroom.

When the coast was clear she allowed her body to shiver in disgust. She didn't enjoy putting on an act for the teachers, but a girl's got to do what she got to do. Sakura Haruno was a teacher's pet, and it was known by everyone. She didn't care though. She would do whatever she needed to do to get ahead and this included getting on her sensei's good side. She felt no shame in how she did it.

Then she took a moment to look down at the scrolls she finally got her hands on.

"Medical ninjutsu" she whispered fondly. The two scrolls were on basic medical ninjutsu. Before she graduated she wanted to be proficient at not only caring for simple injuries but already learning some genin techniques in the field. She needed to get started already.

She couldn't wait.

As she walked into the classroom she took her usual seat, near the front. She was so excited about her medical ninjutsu that she was debating on not even paying attention to today's lecture in favor of starting it.

Sakura always payed attention.

"Ah Billboard brow, you seem to be in high spirits today, I wonder why?" Ino mused with a snicker.

Sakura's face twisted into a sour expression, then she let it relax. Even Ino couldn't bring down her mood today.

Billboard brow she thought with amusement. She hasn't heard Ino call her that in a while.

When she was younger she had detested her large forehead but now she embraced it. In addition she used to hate the color pink, and now it was her favorite. The color was enchanting, so abnormal as if it was a part of some rich imaginary dreamland, that only she was in. She had hopes and dreams, but they would not stay as just that, she would make them a reality. That, she was certain of.

Ino and her group of friends took seats right behind her. Sakura looked on ahead, so it was going to be one of those days. She rolled her eyes waiting for it to begin.

Ino liked taunting her. She was aware of her short tempter and she liked to push her buttons until they could be pushed no more. Sakura knew she was a hot head, it was something she couldn't really help.

"Sakura, by any chance did your forehead grow larger?" Ino tested the waters, listening patiently for her response. There was snarky little smirk on her face as she cupped her chin in her hand.

"Shut it Ino-pig" Sakura snapped. Then she mentally sighed, the blond had gotten to her so easily.

Ino's smirk grew, pleased that she was able to get a reaction out of her so early. Before she could say something though in retaliation, Amy, one of Ino's friend's spoke up.

"Hey the Hyuga isn't here today" she voiced quietly.

Sakura glanced to the middle where the Hyuga usually sat, huh, she was right, she wasn't here. Something about her seat being empty made things feel, off.

"Who cares, hopefully she dropped out" Ino replied, placing her head down, signaling she was done with the conversation.

The other girls looked at each other and shrugged their shoulders. Ino did not like talking about the Hyuga. She hated her more than she hated Sakura, for some reason. The girls behind her changed the conversation, the Hyuga forgotten.

Hinata Hyuga, she showed up out of nowhere two years late for the academy. She made them all look so lacking in comparison to her. This included herself, she thought bitterly. She still had a chance to win Kunoichi of the year and she refused to let all her hard work go to naught. Bets were already in place to see who would win rookie of the year between Hinata and Sasuke. Hinata was leaps and bounds above her, but she refused to give up.

The Hyuga girl was weird though. Asking her if they could be friends. Didn't she understand that they were rivals? Or did she think so lowly of her that she didn't see her as a challenge? Hah! Well Sakura will show her.

Memories of her sticking up for the girl when Ino and her crew were talking about her flashed through her head. She honestly hadn't meant to, it just happened, and it felt strangely…natural.

Her absence was strange though, she hasn't missed a class yet, let alone been late.

She told the girl she didn't have time for friends, and that was true, she doesn't. Besides, her pride wouldn't allow her to be friends with some girl who would most likely beat her for kunoichi of the year. Her eyes widened in alarm at the thought. Then she shook her head at the notion. No, Sakura, you will win kunoichi of the year if it kills you.

She smiled, then tuned into the lecture that began.

"Now, who can tell me what event turned the tables in Konoha's favor in the Third Shinobi World War?" Iruka Sensei asked the class.

How easy she thought, then she waved her hand enthusiastically in the air to catch his attention, knowing she'd be called on.

XXXXXXXXXXX

Sakura Haruno walked home in a rush, eager to start reading the scrolls. She held them in her hand with a death grip, afraid they would disappear.

As she walked into her house she went straight to her room, without greeting her mother who was most likely in the kitchen. Sitting comfortably on her bed, she ran her fingers tenderly along the scrolls. Then she picked one, gently opening it.

She wanted to save lives.

She's come to terms with the hand she was dealt in life long ago, and she would rise above it. She was at a disadvantage, yes, but that meant nothing to her. She was smart, and with her brains she could accomplish whatever she wanted to. She was a civilian, and so was her mother. Her father had died before he could teach her what it meant to be shinobi. Though when she becomes a force to be reckon with she will relish in the fact that people will have no other choice than to recognize her accomplishments as hers and hers alone. She would be great, and they would say she did it all by herself.

On the playgrounds she would get teased by the other kids. They would circle around her making fun of her large forehead or strange hair color. She would often come home crying to her mother for comfort and on the rare occasion that he was here, her father.

Her father. She had loved him so much, though she seldom saw him. The few memories she had of the man she would cherish for the rest of her life. Her father's genes were strong, she had gotten her forehead and hair color from him. It was him who decided to name her Sakura.

He had been a shinobi. He wasn't particularly known or talented but at the time leading up to his death he was training for his jounin exams. His death, she thought with a frown.

It had been a normal day. She went to the playground, was teased, came home, and her mom made her feel better. Her father was expected to be returning from his mission any day now. They had hoped he would come sneaking in on them at any second since he liked surprising them. They had been making dinner together in the kitchen together when there was a knock at the door.

She remembered seeing her mom's eyebrows crease together, she had not been expecting visitors. She had went to the door and when she had not returned after a while, Sakura found herself wandering to the door as well.

Once opening the door she saw two shinobi that later she would learn were her father's teammates from this particular mission. Her mom was on the ground wailing, her cries so loud and heart breaking it drew the attention of the neighbors.

They couldn't tell us how he died, or even what he died for. All they could do was hand over his headband.

She had cried a lot too. Her tears became so frequent until one day they simply dried up. She could cry no more.

No, she would cry no more. So when she was six, a year after her father died, she blossomed. It came slowly at first and each day her flower shines brighter than the last.

She began to take pride in her unfavorable characteristics.

She stopped covering her forehead with the various color ribbons her mother gifted her. Their purpose previously to draw attention away from how large it was. So now her forehead presented itself front and center almost as if screaming "yes I am large, so what?"

Next she began the tedious process of growing out her hair. Eventually it became so long that it glistened and shined beautifully drawing the attention and envy of anyone who witnessed how exotic it looked. It served as a mockery to anyone who dare teased it before.

Sakura Haruno became one with herself. Yes, she was a civilian, but that did not make her lesser than anyone else. She vowed that this civilian would become more than you could ever hope to be. Sakura Haruno would get the last laugh indeed.

It had always been her father's wish for her to grow up into a strong fearsome kunoichi, and she decided she would. With that resolve she decided she would also become a medic. She would save the life of any who could be saved. She wanted to be useful.

When she was done reading one of the scrolls she decided to take a break. She went in the direction of the kitchen, hoping to grab a snack. When she went there she found her mother busy cooking dinner.

"Sakura dear I didn't hear you come in, how was your day?" Her mother's kind eyes zoomed in on her.

Face stuffed with cookies she took a moment to swallow before addressing her mother.

"It was fine, same as usual mother." Her voice sounded through the room. Then she proceeded to pick up more cookies to eat. She clinched a few to her chest and popped one in her mouth.

"Sakura, too many and you'll spoil your dinner" her mom gently scolded with a look of disapproval on her face. She nodded absentmindedly moving in the direction of the stairs. Her mind was already in a far off place excited to continue reading the scrolls. She wanted to be done the last one by dinner. After that she would start analyzing them and the teachings more thoroughly.

Then she would go through studying the academies curriculum material and work on her chakra control. Though if you asked her she believed her chakra control was as perfect as it was going to get.

The next day she entered the academy bustling with excitement. She could see why the scrolls were only available for chunin and those with a higher rank. Even with her level of intelligence she had difficulty comprehending it. She needed to ask a sensei with any basic level on medical ninjutsu for pointers ASAP.

Walking to her usual seat she let her thoughts wander to today's activity. The focus would be ninjutsu to her dismay. She wasn't the best in that department but she wasn't the worst by a long shot.

What really filled her head with hot air was the fact that she was the only civilian who had the tree walking exercise down. Last year she had recalled Iruka sensei causally talking about it with another of her teachers so she had looked up the exercise immediately. Anything to stay ahead!

It took her months to get the technique down. She had already been having a difficult time balancing studying, practicing genjutsu, the academies taijutsu style and various other things they taught her that she wanted to execute flawlessly. Add on this exercise that she had to teach herself she found it an achievement she got it done in that time despite her excellent chakra control.

She took a moment to think of her progress. In the beginning she had fallen down countless times not adding enough chakra to stick. She didn't have a lot of chakra within her coils, which could possibly be why she had such good control. Because of her lack of chakra she could only practice the exercise a few times per day before tiring out completely.

One time she had reached the highest point of a tree, and just as she began to celebrate her success to her complete and utter horror she slipped and began to fall. The only reason she had survived the fall was because of her quick thinking and ability to stay calm.

She was falling upside down and urgently she had reached into her pouch to retrieve a kunai. Then with all of her might she drove the kunai into the bark of the tree. The force only slightly slowed her down so then she concentrated on getting her feet to stick with her chakra. By the time she got it she was near the bottom where at that point she had safely jumped down.

After that incident she was too scared to try tree walking for a couple of weeks.

Now she had to deal with the stupid water walking exercise which was even more difficult. While it didn't pose a risk of getting injured she preferred to stay dry. So to her displeasure after sensei had shown them how the exercise was done, she had fallen in every single time.

Ughhh how humiliating it was, and hearing Ino's snickers certainly didn't help. The blond decided she wouldn't try the exercise going off about something about her hair and how she would figure it out at home.

Well hopefully today she will make some progress on the difficult technique. At least no one else figured it out she supposed…. Wait! Her memory caught up with her, Sasuke and Hinata already knew it and were getting taught something advanced by sensei.

Damnit Sakura! She needed to figure out how to water walk soon.

"Okay class time for attendance" Sakura listened in waiting for her name patiently.

"Sakura Haruno" Iruka sensei looked up briefly after reading the name on the attendance sheet, looking to the seat where the pinkette normally sat and upon seeing her he mumbled the word "present" and checked her off the list.

"Hinata Hyuga" he spoke up next. Sakura turned around in her seat and her gaze took in the classroom and after not seeing the little heiress she wondered on her whereabouts briefly before she shook her head. Why she isn't here isn't important, she thought to herself.

After a rather boring lecture she made her way to the fields to practice the water walking exercise.

She wasn't successful.

Another day, another failure Sakura thought as she trudged wet and pathetically toward the direction of the bathroom. Unfortunately for her the sun did little to help dry her.

Thankfully tomorrow was Friday which meant taijutsu training. The only people who have been able to gain individual spars with Genga sensei were Sasuke, Hinata and once Kiba. Her taijutsu needed work, she knew that better than anyone. Majority of the boys in the class could beat her in that department, and only Hinata was better than her among the girls.

She's never sparred with her but she wouldn't delude herself into thinking she was in her league. Taijutsu was her clan's specialty after all, and the girl was a natural at it.

Every time Ino and she sparred it was anybody's guess on who would win. They each had as many wins as losses toward one another. Whenever she won she didn't go out of her way to make a big deal about it, Ino on the other hand did not extend the same curtesy. It would always be a bad week for Sakura filled with endless insults and bragging whenever she lost to the Yamanaka. She would have to ride it out until the girl found something or someone more interesting to talk about.

Their fights were usually really catty and toward the end straight up petty with some hair pulling.

She needed to be the best. She hoped whatever the competition was tomorrow she would have an opportunity to win and receive her own one on one spar. She could really use some pointers on how to improve her taijutsu.

The following day once she walked into the classroom she was surprised to see one Hinata Hyuga in her usual seat. She was sitting and ignoring everyone while reading a book. She had bandages wrapped at the base of her arms leading up towards her shoulders.

The Hyuga began to move a strand of hair out of her face before she remembered its purpose being there and placed it back. Though not before Sakura saw the band aid it was covering. Was the Hyuga embarrassed by her injuries?

So that was why she had been absent. Being injured was the only logical excuse now that she thought about it, interesting. Within her two day absence rumors had already spiraled around out of control for why she was missing. They ranged from her being disowned to dropping out and receiving a private tutor to finish her academy lessons.

Eventually the Hyuga looked up. Lavender eyes met Emerald and Sakura was offered a shy little wave. Sakura couldn't help herself as she scoffed, ignored her and took a seat. Such a strange girl.

There were very few people the Hyuga acknowledged in this class. To her knowledge she only greets and approaches her, but she recognizes Shino, Shikamaru and Sasuke as rivals.

If Sakura were any other civilian she wouldn't dare ignore the heiress of the Hyuga clan.

Though, surely she must be special since she was a civilian and the only person the Hyuga wanted to be friends with.

In that very moment Naruto Uzumaki walked into the classroom. Bright orange jumpsuit and wide smile as per usual. He took a moment to greet some of his friends in the front before moving toward the back where he normally sat.

Naruto Uzumaki and Kiba Inuzuka were pretty similar. Kiba was more popular but they were both easy to get along with. Sakura supposed it had to do with that happy go lucky atmosphere around them.

"Ah Hinata-chan, Where have you been?!" In that moment Sakura whipped her head around almost fast enough to break her neck. Coming across the sight of Hinata with a soft smile upon her face and speaking to the Uzumaki made her eyes large and wide. She could only feel confusion as she wondered when this happened.

When did she start greeting the Uzumaki? No, she thought as the greeting turned into a small conversation, when did they become friends? Her stomach tightened up as she tried to make sense of the interaction.

Naruto Uzumaki, orphan and civilian was friends with the Hyuga heiress. She looked around the classroom and saw that she wasn't the only one gawking at the two.

Could you blame them? It was a strange sight to see after all. Naruto was outgoing, loud and obnoxious, everything the Hyuga was not. Hinata was indifferent, slightly shy and stoic.

Then in a feat that almost made her eyes bulge out their sockets Hinata giggled. It was quiet, gentle, and matched her appearance. Suddenly she didn't come across as gloomy and unapproachable anymore. That was a sound no one had ever heard before, and Naruto had brought it out of her….

The blonde prankster scratched the back of his head and with a wave promised to talk to her later.

Sakura felt her blood boil in anger.

What was this feeling? Was she upset that Hinata had acknowledged another civilian other than herself? So this was jealousy?

No that was preposterous, she didn't need nor want any friends. She was just upset that this development caught her by surprise. Yes that was it, she concluded refusing to think about the matter anymore.

After lecture time she went to the training grounds. She was eager to find out what kind of exercise it would be that they would be doing. She stood off to the side staring down the small form that was Genga sensei.

This was how things always began. He was usually meditating before he decided to speak to them. Sakura waited patiently for the words they all knew he would say. At first she had dreaded those words with a passion but overtime she found they didn't bother her anymore.

Go run, is what he would say. The first time Sakura heard those words she had paled at the thought. What lowered her moral even more was that he would not say for how long they had to run. She wasn't very fast, she didn't have much chakra and she certainly didn't have stamina.

It was nothing short of a miracle that kept her running the first time, well that and her pride.

She owed a lot to that running, her stamina has improved leaps and bounds thanks to Genga sensei. Unfortunately he was the only one of her sensei's she couldn't develop a relationship with. Not only could she not find him alone, he only paid attention to and bothered learning the names of those he sparred with. Even then he didn't give the impression he cared much for them.

She labeled him as a lost cause. It was fine she supposed as long as he didn't show favoritism to anyone that wasn't her.

"Today were having a bracket fight" Genga sensei finally spoke. Then he reached into his shirt retrieving a scroll. With a flick of his wrist the scroll unfolded and he placed it down. The students scrambled over to find their first opponent.

Sakura crossed her fingers for a nice easy opponent. Then she smirked in triumph upon seeing her name connected by a line to Amy's.

Amy was quiet and friends with Ino. She was one of the tougher girls but she wouldn't be much trouble from the spars she's seen her in.

Victory! Her inner voice shouted in the deepest corners of her mind.

Luckily for her she didn't need to take the defensive, she would start things off by attacking.

Amy was someone who got nervous and clumsy once she felt overwhelmed.

So about forty five minutes later when it was their turn to line up for the spar Sakura began making her way to the circle.

"Good luck" a soft voice mumbled, as she walked past. She kept walking but turned slightly to see that the voice had belonged to the small form of Hinata Hyuga. The girl had her typical smile on her face and Sakura ignored her once again.

Psh, luck she thought, I don't need that.

They met up at the middle of the circle to perform the Seal of Confrontation. Sakura reached her hand out and Amy did as well, then at the very last second Amy pulled back. Sakura looked up in annoyance at the act only to see the girl's attention was not on her. She turned in the direction she was looking to see the one and only Ino Yamanaka with a deep scowl and look of disapproval on her face.

Oh please Ino pig, really?

"Begin" Genga sensei announced.

At once Sakura and the girl jumped back and away from each other. They simultaneously fell into the academy style form.

They began to circle each other looking for any openings they could exploit. This went on for a couple minutes. When Sakura could not find one she grumbled in annoyance. She realized Amy wouldn't attack her first and that was fine with her.

In the background she heard the chants of her fellow teammates egging for the fight to begin.

"COME ON AMY"

"YEA KICK HER ASS"

No one was cheering her on and that was fine with her.

 _That's not true, there is someone_ a voice tickled in the back of her mind. Sakura shook her head to be rid of the voice.

She was ready to start this fight!

So she began quickly running over to Amy mind swirling with the many different ways she could go about attacking the girl.

When she reached her she settled for simple kick to the stomach. Amy blocked it but the force of it made her stumble back a few steps.

Sakura smirked.

Despite her size and being a girl she was actually decently strong! When her classmates fight her for the first time their usually surprised by this fact.

She would take full advantage of this being her and Amy's first spar.

So, as Amy stumbled back Sakura didn't let up, she moved in closer extending a fist hoping to sock her in the face. Instinctively Amy arms moved to protect her and Sakura's fist made contact with her arms.

Amy made an "oomph" sound as she fell on her butt from the force.

Sakura lunged toward the girl's body finding this as an opportunity to end the fight. When she collided with the ground she punched the earth in frustration. Confused on the whereabouts of her opponent she looked to her left to see that Amy had quickly rolled out of the way and was now getting up from the ground. Standing up she shook off the collision and mild embarrassment she felt.

Damnit! If only she had been a bit faster she would have had her!

Sakura growled and glared all while she deliberately took her time fixing her form looking for any changes in her opponent. She took a step in her direction and seeing Amy take a hesitant step back she smiled in satisfaction.

She was intimidated, good.

Sakura moved in ready to attack once more.

So for a few minutes she was on the offense and her opponent on the complete defense. Eventually they got to the edge of the training circle. Seeing as Amy wasn't paying attention to their surroundings she saw this as the way to end this little spar.

Sakura took a few steps back and Amy regarded her cautiously. Then she ran to her and jumped a few feet in the air.

"CHA" she exclaimed as she hit Amy with a flying kick that sent her sprawling out of the ring and thus disqualifying herself.

"Hmph" Sakura walked over to her opponent with an air of superiority. She looked around briefly for Ino Yamanaka and finding her looking at them she bended over Amy with her arm extended. She reached out her middle and pointer fingers and against her opponents wishes forced them to interlock with her own. Together they made the Seal of Reconciliation.

She offered Ino a sweet smile and slightly lifted her chin in a taunt. Take that Ino pig.

Then she flipped her hair over her shoulder as she made her way over to the scrolls to check out the brackets.

Her long pink hair swishing as she went.

When she reached the bracket she wondered briefly how everything was going to be done. At the beginning of the school year they had a little over fifty classmates but as of now, October 6 they were at an even fifty.

That would mean twenty five people won their spars. So, who would get the free pass to move on to the next round?  
Then she saw a red line going through two names. Chouji Akimichi and Shikamaru Nara.

So they both surrendered and disqualified themselves? Of course they would.

She sighed, her hopes of being the lucky student with a free pass flying right out the window.

How typical of the lazy Nara and Akimichi who didn't like confrontation. Couple those characteristics with facing your best friend and there was no way they would fight.

Sakura felt herself sigh once more as she read the name of her next opponent. She so wasn't in the mood for this. Though, her luck could be worse she supposed.

An hour later and another good luck from the Hyuga heiress and she found herself in the middle of the circle.

The Hyuga from what she heard had won her spar, she hadn't watched it opting to strategize and think over her opponents weak points.

Her opponent was a hot head, just like her. Her strategy was to make her opponent angry and use that against them.

Across from her was Ino Yamanaka. The blond had already refused to make the Seal of Confrontation with her. Then in another act of disrespect toward her opponent once the spar had begun Ino did not move to ready herself. Instead she placed a single hand securely over her hip and made a show of yawning in feigned boredom.

Let's get this stupid thing over with already, Sakura thought.

Still brewing with confidence from her last spar she decided to start things off. Slowly she began to make her way closer to her opponent. Once she was at a close enough distance and angry that Ino still wasn't regarding her as a threat she lunged toward the girl intent on connecting her fist with any body part it could touch.

In a movement she did not see Ino simply sidestepped her fist. The result of her fist kissing air was her losing her balance for just a moment and right when she began to get it back she felt a pain on her back, the force making her fall to the ground. She assumed that Ino had connected her two fist together to deliver that blow.

She hurriedly tried to get out of the vulnerable position but a foot forced her back to the ground mushing her face in the dirt. What an embarrassing position she thought and she struggled to free herself.

"My dad's been giving me taijutsu lessons Sakura" Ino explained.

The Yamanaka laughed watching the pinkette struggle underneath her sandal. For good measure she took her other foot that wasn't holding the girl down and proceeded to stomp, thoroughly enjoying the girl's pain.

"AHHHH" Sakura cried out, in pain and humiliation. How could she let herself get in such a position? She took one of her hands reaching out blindly, not being able to see what was behind her. Then once she felt what could only be Ino's leg she threw it off her with all the strength she could muster.

Sakura shakily stood up rubbing her eyes to get the dirt out. Opening them she was welcomed to the sight of Ino staring her down with a look of arrogance.

She thought she was better than her. Ino thought she was better than her, and right now she proving it. Get yourself together Sakura, your better than this she thought.

"Face it billboard brow, your no match for me" Ino snickered.

Sakura clenched her jaw and felt her body shake against her will.

Well she'd show her!

Sakura ran blindly filled with rage toward the Yamanaka. The latter simply fell into her style of choice awaiting the attack.

With a furious scream Sakura lashed out wanting nothing more in that moment than to spill the Yamanaka's blood.

Dodged, dodged, and dodged!

Everything Sakura threw at Ino was either dodged, parried or countered. Sakura herself was having trouble dodging anything Ino threw at her.

When a violent kick sent Sakura sliding back she took a moment to get herself together.

When did Ino get so…good? They had always been about even and while she was the one attacking the blond was in complete control of this fight.

It made sense she supposed. The blond and she haven't had a spar since last year school year. Months have passed since then and if what Ino had said about training with her father was true then that meant…Ino was now better than her.

 _No_

"Hey Sakura ready to give up yet?" she heard Ino coo at her.

 _No_

"Geez you look pretty sad right now, maybe you should go to the bathroom and get cleaned up ne?"

 _No_

"Hurry up Sakura I want to enjoy this more!" Ino's mockery of a laugh ringed in her ears.

 _No, she refused to let Ino be better than her._

Albeit more cautiously this time she made her way back over to Ino in a hurry. After Ino dodged what she thought was a complicated sequence of moves with ease she began to worry.

She was out of breath. Ino was breathing with little difficulty.

Damnit

She charged at Ino with everything she had. When Ino skidded back from a finally successful attack she thought she saw an opening. So with all the vigor in her body she aimed to punch the Yamanaka right in her face.

When her first was caught she looked up in shock. Ino had never been able to do that before.

Then when it was too late, it hit her. Ino had used her strategy against her. She used her anger to her advantage and riled her up.

Next thing she knew she was being punched in the face, the impact enough to have her seeing stars. She expected to fall toward the ground.

She didn't.

Her long hair was grabbed and yanked painfully, so much that her body had no choice but to follow it as it moved wherever the user holding it hostage moved it.

"Your weak Sakura, you should have known you were no match for me" Ino whispered hatefully in her ear, and she felt cool metal to her neck.

XXXXXXXXXXX

Following the disgraceful showing of Ino kicking her ass in front of all her classmates Sakura fled the scene. She was currently in the girl's bathroom in a stall crying her eyes out in frustration.

It… it just wasn't fair she sniffed

Nothing was fair. She had worked so hard but never, never was it enough! Out of nowhere Hinata Hyuga had come to yank away the crown she's been fighting two years for. Even Ino was out of reach now.

She was at such a disadvantage but was she naïve for thinking she could rise above it?

Today Ino had clearly shown what the difference of being born in a clan could make. As they grow older she could only see that distance increasing more and more.

" but I worked so hard" she whispered

She could only cry harder at her failures.

XXXXXXXXXXX

After over an hour of being hulled up in the bathroom Sakura finally found her nerve and left the stall. She regarded her appearance with distaste. Her eyes were red and puffy. Her hair was disheveled and gross from the dirt. This included her outfit. Last there was a small cut on her neck.

Ino had made sure to "accidentally" prick her with the kunai, as she had told sensei, but they both knew the truth.

Sakura washed her hands and wetted a paper towel. Then carefully she dabbed at the little cut on her neck. Would this clean out the cut properly?

Hah, she was studying to be a medic nin and she didn't even know how to handle a simple cut yet she thought sarcastically

She cleaned out the grind and dust in her hair as much as possible. Next she washed her face repeatedly so it wasn't too obvious she had been crying. Once she was done patting down her clothes she readied herself to face the wrath of her classmates.

This is as good as your going to look Sakura.

She had spent over an hour in the bathroom and no one had come in to witness her breakdown. Maybe her luck was looking up after all.

There's nowhere to go but up once you reach rock bottom.

Taking several long deep breaths she opened the door and the harsh sun rays hit her. Her ears picked up on some chattering and swiveled to Naruto and Hinata near the door.

When they saw her Hinata's face brightened and she took a step forward to her. She was gripping something in her hands.

"Ah Sakura I-"

"What do you want? Come to gloat too?" she regarded the Hyuga with disdain, not giving her a chance to get out her words.

"No, never I jus-" she cut the girl off once again.

"Well I don't want to hear it! Whether it be gloating or words of pity! I don't want to see your face Hyuga. When will you get that I don't want to be friends?" she snarled at the girl. When her bottom lip slightly trembled, Sakura felt a sick sense of satisfaction.

At least she wouldn't be the only one getting their feelings hurt today.

Misery loves company after all.

"Hey" the boy next to her exclaimed loudly in anger. Next to him the Hyuga had her head down.

He spoke up again "Apologize to Hinata-chan now" for once his face was deadly serious, something she's never seen before. He took a step closer, foot digging into the grass.

"Naruto, it's okay…" the girl tugged on his sleeve, halting his movement.

Sakura decided to ignore the pair, leaving in favor of the classrooms. Who cared about watching the rest of the spars if she wasn't in them?

Finally in the solace of the classrooms she pulled out the two scrolls from her bag preparing to re-read them until taijutsu training was over.

Her minute of peace was interrupted by a raging blond idiot.

Once in front of her he slammed down something on the table.

She steered her gaze at his deep blue eyes.

"What is that" she asked, not sparing the 'that' a glance. He wouldn't answer her, only nudging at her to check it out herself. She shot him a suspicious look before picking up the small container and opening it.

"It's Hinata-chan's homemade ointment, it helps a lot. She wanted to give you that you know before you were an ass" he explained in a matter of fact tone.

Sakura winced at the boy's word choice. Okay maybe she had been a little mean to the Hyuga.

"When did you and Hinata become friends?" she questioned as she analyzed the substance in the container. She took a whiff of it.

"She helped me a lot with tree walking! Thanks to her I'm making a lot of progress Dattebayo!" the boy's happy voice was back, his anger now forgotten.

What a simple creature Sakura couldn't help but think.

"Sakura-chan, you should be nicer to Hinata-chan, she just wants to be friends." the boy's voice was back to being ominous and all knowing.

"Anyone will do for her" she let the blonde addressing her with a suffix go. The Hyuga probably didn't know what she wanted, for all she knew she just went after her because she was an easy target. She was a loner in the class after all.

The blonde shook his head exaggeratedly. "That's not true! Hinata-chan talks about you a lot… well you and Sasuke…Hinata and Ino fought a little while ago and Hinata totally kicked her ass!" the blond proceeded to animatedly imitate the fight.

When he realized his act was not amusing the pinkette he stopped.

"She was really mad at Ino …."

Sakura scoffed, what did the blond baka know about anything?

"While you were in the bathroom she stayed outside the door and wouldn't let anyone go in." the blonde spoke again.

Sakura perked up at that.

"She even glared at anyone who dare spoke badly about you!" Naruto continued smile on his face.

That caught her by surprise. "She did that?" she spoke, her voice cracking.

"Mmhmm Hinata-chan is really nice, don't you know?" The boy offered her one of his famous smiles and a thumbs up that had her blushing in embarrassment.

"Just apologize to her and give her a chance okay?" then he was on his merry way.

Maybe… she owed the Hyuga an apology.

After having an internal debate Sakura found herself back at the training ground. She wanted to find the Hyuga quickly, apologize and bury her nose into her scrolls.

Then when she ease dropped on her classmates she heard about how soundly Ino had been defeated by the Hyuga.

Hinata had defeated her in such a humiliating way their classmates found it more amusing to talk about their spar compared to her own with the Yamanaka.

Finding the Hyuga was proving to be a difficult feat since she busy with spar after spar until finally she landed herself a spot in the finals. Even then she couldn't find her whereabouts. After her last spar she had disappeared, Sakura losing track of her as she made her way through all their classmates. With the uneven numbers the finals match was originally going to be held with three students.

Luckily for the bracket there had been a double knockout between Naruto and Kiba making the numbers even once more.

Hinata would be in the finals. Hearing the screeches in the background she could only assume that Sasuke had just won, making him her opponent.

Finally after a thirty minute break the finals was happening. She wasn't able to get to Hinata before she made her way to the circle. She would have to apologize once the spar was over.

Sasuke and Hinata gripped each other's fingers to make the Seal of Confrontation.

Genga sensei stood in front of the pair. "You must be wondering what you're battling for, well it's simple: pride." The two straightened their postures and squared their shoulders. Genga-sensei seemingly satisfied with the reaction moved to make his way outside the circle.

"GOOD LUCK HINATA-CHAN" She cringed at the Uzumaki's ear deafening voice. He continued to let it be known he wanted the Hyuga to win before eventually his shouts of encouragement to the girl were dulled out by the dozens of classmates chanting for Sasuke to win.

How annoying. Everyone was rooting for Sasuke. His fangirls and even the boys who usually regarded him with spite. Kiba who got his butt kicked by him was even rooting for the guy. For the life of her she couldn't understand why everyone hated the Hyuga so much.

After a few tense more moments of listening to the crowd belittle the Hyuga she could take no more.

"G- Good luck!" she found herself shouting to the top of her lungs.

When others turned in her direction to give her quizzical stares her face heated up matching the color of her hair.

"She finally turned into a Sasuke fangirl eh?"

"Sasuke's so cool! It was only a matter of time"

"Too bad she has no chance with him"

She couldn't believe she said that!

Then Hinata turned in her direction and offered a shy smile that was for her and only her.

She knew.

She knew that she had been wishing her good luck.

In that moment Sakura thought perhaps having friends wouldn't be so bad. Then she stopped the thought in its tracks. She didn't need friends. That, she excused was just her way of getting even with the Hyuga.

Genga sensei who was now in his classic mediating position decided now was as good as time as any to end the death stare between the two rookies of the year hopefuls.

"Begin" he stated.

And begin It had.

XXXXXXXXXXX

 _She's amazing_

Hinata, she realized really hasn't been challenged by anyone in the taijutsu aspect. Even Sasuke, who was thought to be her superior or at least equal was having a few moments when he was being pushed back.

Sakura stared mesmerized at the battle happening before her eyes. In the few months that Hinata has been here she has yet to face Sasuke in a spar.

Watching the spar that seemed much more like a battle to the death she wondered if the academy teachers purposely kept them from each other.

The moment the battle began the two were at each other's throats. There was no sizing each other up, no planning or strategizing.

They were fighting as if their life depended on it. Like they had something to prove.

Her eyes narrowed as Hinata's leg buckled for a second. Sasuke hit the girl who lost her balance and was sent on a straight path to the ground. All the Hyuga could do was reach out in instinct. Whether it be luck or skills she was able to grab the Uchiha's shirt sending him sprawling to the ground with her as a pay back. The girl put all her weight on one leg as she got up.

Pride… she regarded Genga-Sensei's words carefully. Everyone knew that one of the two would become the rookie of the year. Hinata as the heiress of her clan could not afford to let up, winning was expected of her. Sasuke with the painful reminder of his clan's demise could not afford to show weakness. They both needed to win for their own reasons.

Who's will was stronger she wondered.

Sakura winced as Sasuke brutally popped Hinata in her profile. The Hyuga allowed herself to shake her head once in reaction before merely spitting out blood before going back in to attack.

In a fast paced manner Sasuke dodged the small deadly hands of the Hyuga heiress. He was faster which helped a lot, because one touch and he would be a goner.

"KYA" Hinata screamed out her open palm just barely missing Sasuke who had cartwheeled away. She had her Byakugan activated, the veins surrounding her eyes pulsed angrily.

Sick of being on the defensive Sasuke upped his speed a notch. In flurry of moves he had Hinata back on the receiving end. Sakura almost closed her eyes fearful for the Hyuga.

If she had she would have missed the amazing display of flexibility Hinata shown at dodging Sasuke's foot. Her back was hunched over at a weird angle and her hands touching the ground. Suddenly she propelled her body into a backflip the tip of her foot colliding with the last Uchiha's chin.

Now it was Sasuke's turn to be spitting out blood.

She's really out of my league Sakura thought as Hinata dodged another kick from Sasuke and while scurrying away cut off some chakra points in his legs.

Sasuke had a look of deep concentration on his face with his ever present frown. He shook his leg once, testing it out. Annoyed by the results of her gentle fist he took off determined to make the Hyuga pay tenfold for the attack.

Each blow dealt was followed up by another that either matched its force or was greater. Neither of them refused to let up.

Sakura found herself wincing once again when Hinata's face collided with the Uchiha's knee. The girl had been moving to retreat when her neck was grabbed. The Uchiha clutched it roughly bringing her back close. Once close enough the boy had opted to switch his grip to the top of the girls head before bringing her in for the attack.

That attack was not done without sacrifice. Sasuke had almost lost complete and utter control of his leg if he hasn't already.

The two squared off once more Hinata nursing her injury and Sasuke who had lost the life of his leg.

Then it began again. There was no end in sight.

Around her the crowd had grown quiet, transfixed on the fight just as much as she was.

Slowly but surely Hinata was beginning to overtake Sasuke.

His leg was too much of inconvenience. In a bold move Hinata turned off her byakugan. With that the tips of her fingers no longer glowed blue with chakra.

Hinata had managed to get Sasuke in a position no one had ever seen him before.

On his back.

The boy weaseled his way on the ground narrowly avoiding a potential blow. He got up with great difficulty, thanks to his leg. He raised her arms in a defensive manner still refusing to give up on this match.

Hinata got in close. Sasuke blocked a hit, taking a moment to return his own blow. Not deterred by the strike Hinata went back in determined to end the fight. Sasuke crouched low giving a sweeping kick, which Hinata avoided in turn by jumping into the air. Once she was back down she used that momentum to push Sasuke.

In that second as Sasuke came crashing to the ground his foot connected with Hinata's ankle. Hinata who did not take advantage of the Uchiha's compromising positon looked as if she hesitated.

In that moment of hesitation Sasuke took advantage. He reached up grabbing the collar of his opponent. He threw the Hyuga onto the ground roughly, settling himself on top of her body, straddling her. He leaned over placing his arm against her throat and his other hand raised in a fist.

Declared as the winner the class roared in celebration.

He stood up not offering the Hyuga help, who got up on her own.

Hinata reached out to form the Seal of Reconciliation. Sasuke eyed the fingers with distaste and batted them away. Sakura took notice of his clenched jaw and hands balled in fists before he placed them in his pockets.

Before any of them realized it both of them were gone.

There was something off about that moment that Hinata hesitated. She looked like she was….in pain.

Sakura needing answers went off to find Hinata. After about fifteen minutes of looking for the girl she thought about where she could be. Just when she was about to give up she heard something.

"Why did you hesitate?" she heard a voice screech in ager. Sakura moved carefully toward the end of the wall. Looking behind it she was surprised to find Sasuke and Hinata. Since when were they on speaking terms?

 _And Sasuke too_ … She recalled the words Naruto had said.

"Why did you let me win?!" his voice was harsh and accusatory. His face she noticed was full of disgust. The Hyuga was quiet not responding to any of his words.

"I can't accept that win. I won't" the boy's voice was deathly cold and final.

When he left she watched as the Hyuga waited a few moments until the coast was clear.

Hinata sighed and sat in the grass carefully rolling up her pants to look at the blue and purple swollen flesh of meat.

"Your ankle" Sakura spoke softly, revealing herself. Hinata looked at her once in alarm before quickly rolling her pants back down to hide the injury.

Had she been the only one to notice how it had been hindering her movement?

"You didn't give up the fight, you were in pain." Sakura spoke aloud. She made her way over to the Hyuga heiress who for the first time she met her regarded her with a strange expression.

It was mistrust.

"I won't tell anyone, promise." Sakura quickly reassured. Satisfaction filled her as the Hyuga's face softened back up.

Carefully, she reached out and pulled back the pants she was wearing.

"This bruise judging from the coloring is a couple days old. I'm surprised you were able to participate in all those spars let alone walk normally. I noticed you were having difficulty moving in the match."

Seeing the girl's face move into panic once more Sakura quickly spoke to reassure her "Don't worry I'm pretty sure I'm the only one who noticed, other than Genga-sensei that is. Why would he let you spar like that anyway" she tsked.

"I asked him to" Hinata spoke.

"Your arms too. It wasn't just this leg that was giving you difficulty." Sakura summarized. Hinata wrapped her hands protectively around her bandaged arms and Sakura wondered what injuries lay under them.

It all came back down to pride she supposed.

XXXXXXXXXXX

Finally at the end of the day Sakura grabbed her belongings deciding to make her way to the library. She was in a terrible mood and she needed a pick me up. She needed to find some diagrams of the human body and start putting anatomy to memory.

On her way there she saw the small figure of Hinata Hyuga and Naruto Uzumaki. Naruto was chatting the girl up, the Hyuga nodding and answering where she found it appropriate.

Eventually the pair deterred off the path of the main road walking in the direction of woods.

Sakura being the know it all she was, had to know what they were up to.

When she arrived to a destroyed clearing she was surprised, had the Uzumaki really been having so much difficulty with the exercise?

"Sakura you came!" Hinata had her hands clutched together in front of her and her eyes were wide and innocent.

"Came..?" she could only speak dumbly, growing more and more confused.

"Yes I noticed you following us, I am glad you did!" her shy smile grew wider and more confident.

Busted

Sakura found she didn't have it within her to disappoint the girl, but she still needed to save face.

"Mmm I was just curious what you guys were doing. Now that I know I'll be on my way" there, that should do.

"Hinata-chan is helping me with the tree walking exercise, didn't I tell you this?" the blond finally spoke, he looked at the pinkette with narrowed eyes. Suspicion. His hand was on his chin trying to remember what he said to the girl.

In that moment she felt an overwhelming urge to punch him. Once that urge simmered down she regarded Hinata again. "Is that so? Then I'll be on my way"

"Ah Sakura would you join us?" she looked to the Hyuga heiress once more. The girl averted her gaze and was doing some weird thing with her thumbs. This position they were in…. it reminded her of when the Hyuga had asked her to be friends.

She shuffled her body, uncomfortable. "I have something to do today….maybe next time" she added seeing the crestfallen look on the girl's face.

"Okay!" the Hyuga chirped.

Another expression she hasn't seen the Hyuga make.

Once she was on a clear path to the library she could hear loud crackling in the distance. What a hopeless cause that baka of an Uzumaki was.

XXXXXXXXXXX

With yesterday's events behind her, Sakura decided to look at today with a new outlook. The weekend would most likely do well to put a handle on her lost yesterday. Ino would (hopefully) be too upset at her own lost to be in the mood to brag. Yes, she would be fine come Monday morning when it was time to go back to the academy.

Seeing as how it was Saturday she thought about how she should spend her weekend. Maybe…. she should try and get the water walking exercise down? Her reward would be getting to read the books she picked up last night at the library. Yes getting to read the books would serve as her motivation.

She went on a search to find a lake.

Whether it be fate or mere coincidence when she found one, it came with a blond rascal and Hyuga heiress.

"What are you guys doing here?" she didn't expect them to be hanging out today, let alone at the lake. Shouldn't they be in the forest with the trees?

Naruto smiled at her arrival and offered a generous peace sign. "I MASTERD the tree walking exercise!"

Sakura looked to Hinata for confirmation, who nodded.

"Naruto hit a breakthrough last night, now were working on water walking"

"Last night? How late did you stay, wouldn't your clan be expecting you?" Sakura felt her eyebrows creasing together in confusion.

"Ah no I was relieved of my clan training yesterday" her word choice and facial expression told it all.

She would not go into the details behind why. So Sakura decided to switch the topic of conversation. "Oh so what are you getting out of this exercise? Don't you already have it down?"

"Yes, but I recently discovered my chakra infinity is water, I am practicing as well" Well that explained it. Water was gentle, and so was this girl, it fit Sakura supposed.

So Sakura ended the conversation there. She proceeded to slowly make her way over to the water. Surprised that she had not fallen in yet, she added a little bit more chakra and walked out further.

This went on for a few minutes. Water walking was difficult because the amount of chakra you applied always needed adjusting.

Taking an additional step she decreased the amount of chakra.

This was a mistake.

"Ah Sakura n-" it was too late, before she had realized it she lost control and had fallen in. She moved her legs hurriedly as she swam toward the shore. Her clothes clung tightly to her skin and she shivered at the cool breeze.

"I hate this stupid exercise" she exclaimed to no one in particular, taking off her shirt. She began to wring and shake it out before placing it back on.

Then she went back to the water.

Needing a break she joined the (also) wet Uzumaki and Hyuga sitting down. Naruto was eating out of a large bento, and she politely declined some food Hinata offered her. Apparently both bentos had been made by the Hyuga.

Then when her stomach growled she embarrassedly took a rice ball.

"HAHAHA" the Uzumaki laughed pointing rudely at her flushed cheeks.

She tried, she really did try to hold in her anger.

Next thing she knew she balled up her fist and pounded it into the knuckle heads skull. Naruto nursed his wound while shooting her hurt looks. HAH he deserved it, then she looked pointedly at Hinata who was giggling lightly.

Hinata went back to focusing on the water in her bucket. Naruto filled the silent group with some long story about a prank.

Eventually the topic moved to dangerous territory.

"Hinata-chan you were amazing yesterday!" the boy had a stars truck look on his face.

"Sasuke won" she said simply, not bothering to look up from her bucket of water. Suddenly, a ripple moved in the water.

Sakura supposed it was a clan thing. To them effort meant nothing if it didn't produce results.

"Yes, but only because you were injured" Sakura countered the girl. This time the Hyuga's shoulders tightened and there was another, bigger, ripple in the water.

"Yup it wasn't a fair fight! Sasuke cheated Hinata-chan" his eyes were wide and his voice became louder with each word he spoke. Following this there was a larger ripple in the water than before. Sakura eyed the water curiously.

Hinata shook her head in defiance. "There's no such thing as a fair fight Naruto…you should remember that."

"Sure there is! You were hurt so that means the win doesn't count!"

Hinata finally turned her eyes toward them and stood up. As she did the water jumped into the air before landing safely back into the bucket.

"Naruto, you don't get it! I lost! I-I lost! I'm not allowed to lose" the girl hiccupped, voice wavering. She never raised her voice but it was clear she was dead serious. Then in a feat that drew all their attention the water exploded out of the bucket shooting into the air. Once it landed on the ground each of them refused to meet the other's eyes.

Hinata… she didn't realize it until now but her loss against Sasuke bothered her more than she let on.

What followed was an awkward afternoon of training. Each of the three children were too scared to leave the presence of the others first.

Hinata was too polite to leave without wishing the others good bye. But she refused to speak to them.

Naruto refused to leave because at each moment he looked ready to speak his mind before deciding not to.

She didn't leave because she wanted to get the water walking exercise down.

At least that's what she told herself.

XXXXXXXXXXX

After a long weekend of much needed practice with the Uzumaki and Hyuga, she made leap and bounds of progress on the water walking exercise.

The next day the Hyuga had shown up to training and apologized for her "unsightly behavior" as she put it. Naruto and she had accepted the apology immediately, and all was right again.

She walked confidently into the classroom.

Ino hadn't bothered her the whole day, sitting as far as she could. So overall it had been a good day if you asked Sakura.

She went off to find the Lake again and found that it was only Hinata there.

"Where's the baka?" she asked casually looking around for a bright orange jumpsuit.

"Mmm he should be here soon."

"Sakura, do you know what day is tomorrow?"

Sakura raked her brain for the date, "The tenth?"

Hinata smiled but urged her on further with a nod. Sakura understood immediately.

"It's the tenth of October" she repeated albeit more slowly.

"Yes, I am going to bake Naruto a cake"

"That would be nice…?" Sakura spoke.

Hinata's eyes seemed to gleam at the approval of her idea from the pinkette.

"What are you planning on giving Naruto?" she asked.

"Why do I have to get him something?" Why should she have to spend her allowance on some orange baka she barely knew?

Hinata huffed in what could only be her way of showing her frustration "because friends give their friends presents on their birthday, right?" at the end the Hyuga cocked her head to the side looking for Sakura to confirm her theory.

How would Sakura explain that she did not regard the two as friends? She had no friends. This thing they had going on was a mere acquaintanceship if you asked her.

"They do…but I haven't known the Uzumaki very long"

"Naruto told me you don't put a time stamp on friendship"

With that statement her fate was sealed. So after a while Naruto finally showed up and Hinata left a bit after that with the excuse of not being late for clan training. Not wanting to be alone with the blond without the Hyuga she too excused herself.

Awhile after that she found herself in a shop. She picked things up and placed them back down. Nothing had caught her eye yet unfortunately.

When she decided to give up and leave the store she finally found something cheap and acceptable.

The next day she was surprised to find that none of Naruto's friends wished him a Happy Birthday. They talked to him as if it were any normal day. Had they forgotten? Pshh, some friends they were.

So when they reached the training ground, walking together for the first time they sat down in a small circle.

"Happy Birthday!" Hinata exclaimed happily taking out her cake and offering it to the very surprised Uzumaki. After they ate the cake which was very delicious she decided now was as good as time as any to give him her gift.

"Happy birthday baka" Sakura mumbled producing her present. She hadn't bothered to wrap it, not being able to find anything in her house. It was a wallet in the appearance of a green toad. She picked it out because it seemed strangely fitting for the blond.

It looked as if it hadn't had a care in the world. She quickly went off to explain the gift.

"I know it's stupid but I didn't know what to get you and-"

"It's perfect" He interrupted. "This is perfect guys" He spoke, gently taking his gift from her outreached hands. His eyes darted between the two girls and were a soft blue compared to that fierce friendly look they usually gave off.

"I'll name it… Gama-chan" he concluded fondling the little wallet between his fingers.

"Sakura-chan, Hinata-chan…. Thank you so much" the boy's voice cracked and his shoulders shook. For a moment Sakura was afraid he would cry.

She didn't know how to deal with crying.

Then he looked up at the two with a wide happy grin only he could pull off and invited them to diner.

Naruto was the sun, she concluded as she felt her face heat up, mesmerized by his smile.

On the walk to wherever they were going she had learned that Hinata's birthday was December 27 and after a lot of persuading she finally gave up her own.

March 28

Hinata would causally slide in that Sasuke's birthday was July 23. Neither she nor Naruto knew how to resound to that.

Hinata would later exclaim how each of their birthday's resembled the four seasons. Hinata was in the icy cold winter. Sakura herself was in the spring where everything came to life. Naruto was in the fall and Sasuke in the breaching hot summer.

Hinata for some reason was dead set on becoming friends with the last Uchiha. Sakura herself thought he was a lost cause.

So that night while all of Konoha mourned those who fallen eleven years ago, there were two girls in a ramen stand celebrating the birth of the boy who gave the ultimate sacrifice so they all could live.

XXXXXXXXXXX

The closer Sakura got to learning the water walking exercise the more fear crept into her belly. She was scared of what would happen to her little training group once she and Naruto mastered it.

So a couple weeks after the Uzumaki's birthday she finally mastered the annoying exercise of water walking. She continued to show up to training under the rouse that Naruto could learn faster with two teachers compared to one.

It was the saddest explanation Sakura had ever come up with in her life.

So a few months later on a quiet afternoon on a Sunday Naruto finally mastered the exercise. Sakura could only put on a fake smile as she congratulated the blond.

The next day she prepared herself to regard the two as strangers.

Out of pure nostalgia she made her way over to the lake where they had made their training spot. She expected to find no one there.

"Ah Sakura-chan is finally here Hinata-chan!" Her pink eyebrows raised in surprise. They were still here…but why? The two came bouncing over to her full of energy.

"Sakura-chan you missed it Hinata told me she would be my taijutsu partner!"

"Sakura, do you want to train together too?" Hinata asked quietly in that hopeful manner of hers.

Sakura felt a bubbling excitement in the pit of her stomach. Trying to hide her happiness at the invitation she scoffed and turned her head so they couldn't see her smile.

"I guess so, why not?" she spoke as nonchalantly as she could.

Keep your friends close and your enemies closer. That's how the phrase goes right? Besides the Hyuga offered her help first. She would simply use her rival as a stepping stone to getting better. That was the only reason she would train with the Hyuga and Uzumaki.

So with that Sakura would spend the next few months working on her taijutsu. Naruto and Hinata were both better than her in this department so it was a good way to improve she found. The blond hit hard and had endless amount of stamina. Hinata was fast and near impossible to land attacks on. The girl never used her gentle fist on her.

Her form and stamina improved, and she felt her speed increase as well.

On a cold day in December Sakura trudged her way to the field where they trained. She had spoken after class with one of her sensei so she didn't walk with Naruto and Hinata.

She rubbed her gloved hands together for warmth looking into the sky. Why Hinata adored the worst season of them all she would never get. By January they would be in their second semester of third years. Then after that they would be fourth years. Everything was coming so fast.

When she arrived to the lake Naruto greeted her as usual but all she got from Hinata was a nod in her direction. The whole day Hinata had been more quiet than usual. Sakura having enough of it finally called her out on it.

"Neji is graduating this semester" Sakura's eyebrows raised recognizing the name Neji as Hinata's cousin that she often spoke of.

"The academy has been pushing for years for him to graduate early" Naruto for once was quiet as Hinata spoke.

"They finally got through to my father. Last night the Hokage himself paid him a visit. I don't know what he said to father but now the elders are allowing Neji to graduate a semester early"

Sakura listened still not seeing the problem.

"It just feels like I'm losing sight of him" she responded tentatively.

Sakura could understand that. Even Hinata Hyuga worried about others getting ahead of her.

"Don't worry soon we'll be in our last year at the academy. We will be genin soon" Sakura spoke finally. She wasn't the best at consoling someone, so she looked to Naruto pointedly for help.

"Yeah Hinata-chan! We're going to be genin soon! We will even be on the same team!" he shouted up the heavens. Then he jumped up kicking and punching the air excitedly.

No one believed that last statement but Naruto. The Uzumaki was fully convinced that they would end up on the same team. Hinata and she knew better.

Though, as Hinata giggled in her gloved hand and her worry lines disappeared Sakura grinned too. The blond had served his purpose in making Hinata feel better.

Then a few months later summer began and their third academy year ended. They were well on their way to becoming ninja.

But over the horizon, trouble blooms for the newly minted genin of Konoha.


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: Hello everyone! Thank you so much to everyone who reviewed, it really pushed me to get this chapter out. Soon we will be at the point where they finally get on teams and I know you guys are interested to see how I'm going to do that. To clear up a couple things as of right now I have decided not to focus on pairings. This story will revolve around friendship but who knows I could change my mind. But, even I can't help myself so every now and then you might see a couple of bread crumbs hinting to a pairing. It is up to your interpretation on who I would most likely pair off! Now, this chapter is in Naruto's POV, so while yes my characters are a bit oc they are made to be like that purposely. I tried to make Naruto less annoying and I have to admit I actually had a lot of fun writing this chapter! I'm very satisfied with how this chapter turned out and am hoping for a lot of feedback. If you feel more comfortable Pm'ing me your thoughts, feel totally free to do that. Now some things to keep in mind, Neji graduated a semester early so as a result Tenten and lee are not placed on his team. I hope you all enjoy so please review afterwards with your thoughts and critiques on how to improve!

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"What did you find?"

The Hokage watched with tired eyes as the anbu in front of him shuffled. Patiently he waited for the anbu to fill him in on his findings. Judging by his break in protocol in showing how uncomfortable he was, the news was not favorable.

Still kneeled down in front of his leader to show his respect the Anbu carefully, albeit slowly pulled out a scroll followed by four headbands.

The Hokage eyes had barely even widened a millimeter, but being the elite shinobi that he was, the anbu caught it.

Then the Hokage sighed, reaching into his desk to produce his pipe. His mind was already brewing about what this meant for his village. Lighting the pipe and taking a nice long drag he nodded to the anbu to start his full report.

It would be another long night.

XXXXXXXXXXX

"Oomph" Naruto grumbled as his back collided with the ground. He opened up his deep blue eyes to the sight of Hinata-chan offering him a hand. He reached up taking it happily.

Once pulled up and facing the girl he began to talk about their fight, still feeling a rush of excitement.

"Hinata-chan you're so good! I really thought I could get you this time" he went off pouting slightly at his loss. The girl before him merely nodded, a pleased smile on her face.

In the months that they have been training Naruto had yet to best the girl in a spar. Heck even on a good day he could barely get a hit in. Sakura-chan was a fast learner too, her taijutsu was quickly on its way to becoming on par with his own. Since he was going to be Hokage he couldn't let up.

"Naruto, Sakura, I have to leave now for clan training, see you tomorrow?" Hinata questioned lightly.

The blond, saddened over the news that she was leaving so soon frowned before he let his lips settle back into a smile.

"You bet!" he proclaimed happily offering her a thumbs up. Seeing his confirmation, Hinata then turned her gaze on Sakura expectantly. The pinkette of their little trio was currently under a tree reading, as she usually did.

He detested reading. He found the words on the page never interesting enough to keep his attention. Pranks were a much better time consuming activity if you asked him.

Sakura looked up from her book for just a second and offered the girl a nod.

The shy girl smiled and began packing up her things. Then his face mirrored his thoughts as he looked on in disapproval as she slightly bowed to him and Sakura before making her leave.

What a strange thing to do. Though Hinata-chan had always came off a little strange to him. It took several reprimands before he got her to stop calling him 'Uzumaki-san'. Blah the way the name rolled off her tongue made him feel so old. Plus she was always cringe worthy polite, making him feel like some rude brat in comparison. Though those qualities were what made her, her. She was Hinata-chan, one of his closest friends. She was a little weird but that's okay because that's just how he likes her.

Now down one training partner, Naruto looked around his surroundings for anything he could do. There was nothing around him but grass and a reasonably sized lake. Deciding he wasn't in the mood for a swim his sights finally settled on Sakura. A mischievous grin filled his face as he moved toward the tree Sakura was under, ready to engage her in conversation.

"Ne Sakura-chan whatcha reading?" he began, sitting down directly in front of her. He placed both his arms in his lap, then settled his chin into the cups of his hands peering closely at her. Her face was in a deep look of concentration as she silently mouthed the words on the page. Then she sighed deeply, her eyes clenching shut. Naruto knew that look anywhere, what was Sakura-chan angry about?

The girl glanced up once in annoyance before her eyes settled back on her book. Whether the annoyance be at his lack of understanding of personal space or for interrupting her, it was anyone's guess.

The boy puffed out his cheeks as he realized the girl was ignoring him. Not deterred at all by this he continued his questions.

"Is it on that medical stuff again?" he spoke up, his guess this time coming from the title of the book labeled "Blood Coagulation". When he was only offered a nod, her emerald eyes never leaving the pages he felt himself grow jealous that a book captivated her attention.

"Well I think it's a waste of time, you should spend your time sparing with me instead!" he offered his two cents. When the girl whipped her head up offended by his opinion on her precious medical ninjutsu, Naruto's eyes widened in glee.

"Baka, this "waste of time" will save your life one day" Naruto didn't really care much for the words she spoke, just glad that she finally offered him a real response.

"Yea yea sure it will, so can you spar with me pleaseeeee?" he dismissed her words allowing his voice to fall into begging mode.

"No"

"Pretty please?" he tried puffing out his bottom lip and doing his best puppy dog eyes. Too bad for him that look never worked on Sakura-chan whether she sees it or not. In this instance she didn't even bother to look up as she responded once more.

"No"

"Pretty please with sugar on top?" this time he spoke the words slowly putting extra emphasis on each one as he intertwined his two hands shaking them with vigor.

"No Naruto" her voice was final.

The boy threw up his hands dramatically faking his surrender. "Fine, read your stupid book for all I care. You're probably too scared you'll lose to me anyway."

Naruto Uzumaki would never give up.

Then he waited patiently.

He was bored. And he knew that if he kept probing the girl she would eventually give in, just like she always did. Sakura-chan was a hot head, so he knew she would bite on to the bait. She didn't have it in her not to. Being around her so long he liked to think he knew what toes not to step on. More often than he liked he stepped on some anyway. Sakura-chan was also a strange girl.

"Fine then, let's go" she slammed her book shut angrily and stood up, green eyes in a glare. She squared her shoulders and cracked her knuckles.

Naruto eyebrows raised, surprised at how determined she was.

She cocked her head at him, "You coming or what?"

This was what he loved about Sakura-chan. Passionate, hot blooded, and surprisingly caring (though she would deny this herself) were the ingredients necessary to make the pinkette. He jumped up eagerly to follow her, happy to have someone to spar with once more.

Two hours later Naruto sat smiling away as Sakura inspected his wounds. He had to hand it to her, she still couldn't defeat him but she's made so much progress. A few times, way too close for comfort she had almost won the spar. It was only his superior strength and stamina that allowed him to prevail. Sakura had already caught up to him in regards to speed. Each and every day she was surprising him. Sakura-chan he concluded, was tough!

"See Naruto my stupid medical stuff is proving pretty handy after all." He watched in childlike wonder as Sakura's glowing hands made the two long scratches on his arm nearly disappear. The cuts made courtesy of Sakura's nails. They were really sharp, ouch.

"Sakura-chan I think it's time for you to cut your nails again." Sakura had a bad habit of not wanting to cut her nails. The color of them were a faint pink which was coupled nicely by how long they were. But choosing the path of a medic nin, this was something she would need to get in the practice of. It was a girly attribute she wasn't so willing to get rid of yet. The girl nodded at him accepting his observation, still focusing on her work.

Next the girl grabbed some bandages from her bags and proceeded to wrap the scratches. The act was completely unnecessary but Naruto didn't have it in him to tell her. In a few hours all traces of the cuts being there will be completely gone regardless if she had used her medical stuff.

Though Sakura relished any opportunity she had in being able to practice her growing talent. Naruto indulged her because it made her happy.

And Naruto liked seeing Sakura-chan and Hinata-chan happy.

Anything for his friends.

So ever since Sakura-chan began her exploits on practicing the technique her eyes would light up and she would run over to them ready to heal even the minor injuries. So yup, Naruto happily played the role of her Guinea pig.

Even in the beginning when her rough hands caused more pain rather than relieve it. Or when she wrap his wounds too tight or not tight enough and the bandages fall off moments later.

He watched as Sakura-chan now expertly wrapped his wound, all while humming and biting her lip.

She's made so much progress.

Everyone it seemed was moving forward. Yet in a few months they would be starting their fourth year of the academy and he still couldn't perform a jutsu they learned as second years. It was such a stupid jutsu really. One he felt like he practiced thousands upon thousands of times. Even Hinata-chan and Sakura-chan who helped him tree walk and water walk were at a loss in how to help him learn it.

Naruto felt like he was falling behind. Like Sakura-chan and Hinata-chan would soon leave him. How would he become Hokage if he couldn't perform such a simple jutsu?

"Well Uzumaki your all set!" Sakura clapped her hands together snapping him out of his chain of thought. He looked up in time to see her admiring her handy work.

"Thanks Sakura-chan!" he proclaimed while analyzing his arm.

"Mhmm….." He heard her hum. Then his ears twitched and he turned in the direction of the sound to see that she was putting away the small pile of books previously laying on the grass. His face morphed into confusion, a look that did not go unnoticed by the pinkette.

"I have to go now, so I'll catch ya later" she explained. With those words panic rose through the boy at the thought of her leaving. He rose quickly from his sitting position to move closer to the girl.

"But it's so early, stick around longer" he whined. It was still light outside. It was a hot afternoon in June after all so he didn't want to have to head back to his place yet. Why waste daylight stuck inside was his philosophy. His face frowned up as Sakura shook her head no.

"Sorry Naruto, I promised my mom I'd help with dinner tonight." In a rare act she sent him an apologetic look before she too made on her way, leaving him alone. Naruto spent a couple minutes thinking about what he should do.

Going back to his place was out of the question.

He couldn't spar alone, and strangely wasn't in the mood for a prank. And he surely wasn't in the mood to practice that god forsaken jutsu that would only damper his mood more once he failed.

So Naruto began to make his way to the only place he could think of.

In the heart of the bustling village he ignored the stares and glances shot his way, as he was used to them. The children looked at him with something a keen to admiration and the adults regarded him with appreciation and respect. As he passed by a cart an old woman he did not know spoke his name and offered him a treat.

He thanked her for the offer and politely declined the treat with an excuse that he was full. Then he continued on his way.

Maybe… he's changed, he thought thinking about other ways he would have handled that offer at different points in his life.

If he was his hate filled five year old self he would have sneered at the old woman before uttering something rude. If he was feeling especially bratty he would had taken the treat only to drop and stomp on it in front of her.

Naruto cringed at the memories of how horrible a child he was. The orphanage had put up with his behavior with little protest. It had been his own many requests to the Hokage to be removed. Eventually the third had placed him in a small humble apartment with a monthly allowance.

An allowance he never used.

For the life of him he couldn't understand why he turned to thievery. He stole food, clothing, toys, any and everything he wanted or didn't want for that matter. Sometimes he stole for the heck of it. Just for the rush of it.

Most of the time he was able to get away successfully stealing without a vendors knowledge, or so he believed. Though on the times he would be caught they would see that it was him, apologize profusely, then let him go, and with the item he stole none the less.

People wouldn't look at him with disapproval no matter what he did and it made him angry.

Perhaps the Hokage's wish was that he would grow lonely and want to go back. That never happened. His time at the orphanage he never had a single family wish to adopt him. He vehemently denied this fact bothered him. He had been admittedly lonely, but he preferred that to the _looks_.

If he was his uncaring eight year old self he would have taken the treat without a second thought shrugging as he went on his way without thanking the lady. While his behavior slightly improved at this point his mindset changed a bit.

It was around this time that he started pulling pranks. He had started doing them as a way to see how far he could take it. Would they still deem him so highly if he ate all their food? Or broke their cart? What about if he spray painted their valuables with demeaning images. It was by peer coincidence that he found he actually liked pulling pranks, they brought him joy, so he continued the hobby.

He had wanted them to hate him.

Since they respected him so much he wanted to find out what lengths he'd have to go to make that happen. Yes, he hated the deep admiration people felt for him. When they looked at him all they saw was the Kyuubi. All they saw was the sacrifice he did not willingly partake in.

Though, eventually, he gave up finding that was as far as he was willing to take the game. Every time one of his actions genuinely hurt someone he found his heart aching and ended up apologizing. He'd do everything in his power to make it up to whoever it may have been. Then he would later get angry at himself for feeling such a way.

Naruto was a goof ball at heart. He was a bit of a glutton, but kind, and cared for others despite what his actions had showed. He valued life, and as much as he hated being the jailor, he would accept that burden.

All he wanted was for them to see him as Naruto Uzumaki.

So he accepted that he would always be in the spotlight. His reasoning's for wanting to become Hokage were entirely selfish, he admits. Gaining the position of Hokage was the only accomplishment he could think of that would overshadow the demon residing in his belly. At least when people looked at him the first thought that comes to mind will be "oh look it's the Hokage" and not "oh look it's the jailor of the nine tailed fox".

Being Hokage will be _his_ choice.

He hated the fox. He hated the fourth for not being strong enough to defeat the fox. He hated the fourth for choosing him as the jinchuriki. He hated his parents for letting him do it. He hated them for dying and leaving him alone. Sometimes… he hated himself.

About a half hour later he was eating a hot steaming bowl of miso ramen. Ramen was truly the best thing he's ever tasted in his eleven years of life. Over the years he made this place his home. It was surely a better environment than the one he lived in.

When Naruto was eight a little while after he entered the academy he found the ramen stand.

And he found himself able to let a lot of his hate go.

The food tasted amazing, and cooked fast, these two things met the necessary expectations of food in his mind.

"Keep them coming old man!" Naruto shouted out in a hurry while simultaneously wolfing down the last bits. When the old man poked his head back out and gave him a stern glare he added the word 'please' immediately.

He wiggled in his seat awaiting the next batch of ramen to come. It didn't matter how many times he's sat in this seat, he would always have that same feeling of excitement.

Contrary to popular belief Naruto was not some blubbering idiot who was ignorant to all things going on around him. He was admittedly oblivious to a lot of things but after a while even he picked up on stuff.

The day he had waltzed into the little stall had been like a breath of fresh air for him.

Naruto smiled fondly at the memory of him scarfing down four bowls of ramen. When he had finished he had stood up to leave. Prior to this he had never paid for anything in his life. No one dared asked him to before. He had lifted the flap to be on his way before the old man shouted out to him. His face had burrowed in confusion as the old man shouted the cost.

Did this man not know who he was, he remembered wondering. Eventually he had reached into his pockets and after not finding a single coin to pay for his meal, looked at the old man sheepishly. He just never carried money on him, it wasn't needed. He expected for the old man to smile and say it's on the house or something along the lines.

So imagine his surprise when he ended up in the back with a hair net placed firmly over his head while he struggled to wash the overwhelming pile of dishes.

That was the moment he decided he liked this place.

Now moving on to eat his fourth bowl of ramen he thought about his friends. The thought of them stirred another memory from within. This one occurring when he was about nine years old.

"Ayame how do you know if someone is your friend?" he had asked the girl while he waited on his ramen. The old man had stepped out for a second so she had picked up the pace.

The girl had stopped in her tracks, turned to him and gave him a thoughtful look. Then she went about slowly answering the question before going back to work. He had found himself grateful she didn't ask any questions.

"A friend is someone whose company you enjoy and vice versa. A friend cares deeply for you and has your best interest at heart. They want to see you happy, for that reason they'll always come to your rescue. They even put up with you when you're being difficult! Or something like that I suppose."

At the time he had surrounded himself around many boys he had considered his friends. He was like a magnet drawing the attention of many peers wanting his company.

This was until he stumbled upon a conversation he was clearly not supposed to hear.

"Hey were going to go play, you in?"

It was a group of his friends by the school gates.

"Yea! I'll go get Naruto" his friend announced happily before turning to go back into the academy.

"Wait!" another boy had shouted grabbing his shoulder before he could move.

"Sometimes we just need a break from him you know?" the boy spoke for himself and the group behind him who nodded their agreements.

"Yea, it can be hard being friends with someone because your parents want you too" the boy eventually agreed.

They never noticed him a little farther away by the academies door. He was far, but he always did have excellent hearing.

It was this particular incident that made him ask Ayame that question.

After that incident he still continued to hang around the boys. They still made for decent company and he was lonely after all. Even if he did stumble upon similar conversations like the first. So he just kept in mind that they weren't his friends.

Upon hanging around Hinata-chan and Sakura-chan he found that they met all of Ayame's criteria. Being around them two he had the urge to hang around the other boys less and less before soon it disappeared altogether. So he stopped spending time with them.

Despite him being loud and overbearing sometimes and a tad selfish he had come to realize Sakura-chan and Hinata-chan accepted him for who he is. There was Hinata-chan who offered to help him that night. Looking back it was a completely selfless act with no ulterior motives. He admits that at first he had been skeptical but he had been so desperate to get the exercise down he didn't care. Sakura-chan, as someone he had never spoke to in the academy had been a surprising but welcome addition. Sakura-chan may always deny being their friend but he found she fit all of the qualifications. He smiled to himself as he decided that was just her being difficult.

They were his _real_ friends.

"Phahaha Naruto you sure have an appetite going today" the old man came back with his fifth bowl of ramen. Ramen was surely the only food Naruto could eat that he just couldn't get enough of!

When he finally had his fill he made his way out and a tad solemnly made on his way to his place. Once he arrived he flicked on the light before sighing at the mess he left. All around him there were wrappers, instant ramen noodle cups, used plastic dishware, napkins, etc. He went to the fridge and taking a hesitant sniff of the expired milk blanched before he poured it down the sink.

Then he left the carton on the counter top, promising he would clean tomorrow. After a shower and settled into his Pajamas he snuggled into his bed.

That was how his days go by now. Wake up and head to the training grounds with Sakura-chan and Hinata-chan. Stay out until it gets dark and then finally head back.

Hinata-chan had her clan and Sakura-chan had her mom.

He it seemed had no one. There was no one back at his apartment waiting for his return. No hot, home cooked meal. He didn't get to go back expecting his dishes to be washed or dirty laundry to magically be clean. There was nothing but a tiny apartment waiting for his return.

Though in the morning once he wakes up, he would have Hinata-chan and Sakura-chan waiting for him at the small lake.

XXXXXXXXXXX

Within the Hokage's office there was a small meeting about to occur. The occupants of the room were the Konoha council. The members present being Danzo Shimura, Homura Mitokado, and Koharu Utatane, all elders within the village and held in high regard.

"So, what have we been summoned for?" Danzo spoke, his one eye lazily landing on Hiruzen as he took his seat.

Hiruzen who was now done placing a genjutsu over the room, too took his seat. He was not in the mood for these games today. He was no fool, and knew that Danzo without a doubt already knew what this meeting had to be about. His eyes narrowed on the figure of the man, and his ever present cane. In fact, he wouldn't put it past him to know more about the incidents than he himself knew.

Once settled comfortably in his seat he decided to humor him as he answered anyway.

"As you all are probably aware we just lost another genin team. The jounin as well as all three genin were killed on a C-rank mission."

The life of a genin was usually short lived. It was a dangerous period after all. They were young and vulnerable so they made as easy targets. The village does all they can to ensure their survival but no one usually even blinks at the news of a cell being killed off. The odds of a genin surviving their first couple years were not in their favor.

Not garnering any reaction from the three except an eyebrow raise from Koharu he continued.

"In the last six months we have graduated eight genin teams. That is twenty-four genin. It's below the academies average but I hoped it would suffice. Now, we have already lost five of those eight teams. After the events of the other day, fourteen of those twenty-four genin are now dead, including their jounin instructors. I have begun to suspect foul play."

The Hokage pulled out a picture from within his long flowing robes. He took a moment to glance at it himself before placing it on the table. In it were three boys and there sensei. "Now, this is team Taka, our latest find. There deaths were unfortunately entirely the fault of the jounin. They encountered a B-rank missing nin on their C-rank mission and he did not order the retreat. I received a scroll from him telling me they would engage. After that I immediately sent a group to find them and provide back up."

He stopped momentarily hearing Danzo mutter "that fool".

Seeing as Taka's actions took four lives he could not find it in him to disagree. "All we found were the bodies and only clues of what could have possibly happened."

"Taka… he had always been brash. Those three boys were very eager and their track record of successful missions after the other certainly couldn't have helped. If I remember correctly he was very proud of their accomplishments, no?" Koharu finally spoke.

"Yes, we had high hopes for that team" Homura agreed quietly. It was always a shame when promising lives perished so soon.

"Cause of death?" Danzo asked. The man was staring at the picture with his hand in his chin with a look Hiruzen couldn't quite put his finger on.

"All of the members had a single slash across the neck. The cuts were very jagged which corresponds with the B-rank shinobi, Tamara Shinsu's signature weapon. There is reason to believe that he was able to take out Taka first before toying with the genin, as they had many gashes and burns on their bodies pointing to brief torture."

"I have an elite team out now trying to locate the whereabouts of the B-rank missing nin. His homeland is Suna, so we hope we hasn't circled back in that direction yet."

While he allowed them to soak in that information, the Hokage pulled out another picture placing it on the coffee table directly beside the other. He let the others put the faces on the picture to memory before he spoke once more.

"This was the first team to be killed off. It happened back in February. Everything checked out as just another mission casualty, so we didn't look too deep into it with them being the first team to be killed. Though now I believe that was a grave mistake."

He pointed to a particular girl in the photo, smiling next to her teammates, completely oblivious to the bunny ears one of the boys made over her head.

"She was the first to die, bleeding out from a large hole in her chest. We found signs of medical ninjutsu on her corpse so it was probably her sensei who attempted to emit first aid. The effort was useless. Her teammates all died by similar means and the jounin was strangled to death."

The Hokage took out another two pictures, once more explaining the team and what lead to their deaths. He watched the reactions of those in the room carefully, hoping they would come to the same conclusions that he has. After those teams he pulled out the final picture.

"This is team Toshia, they were killed a few weeks ago. They were newly formed as well. Her team was down one of their genin who was in the hospital due to a training accident. It was a simple C-rank, bordering on D-rank so I approved for them to take it while down a member" The Hokage shook his head ashamed of his past decisions, and continued.

"There deaths were the most brutal of them all. They were so mutilated we could not determine the cause of death. Their heads were bashed in and limbs torn from their bodies. The labs discovered several different traces of sperm in the jounin, so she was sexually assaulted. We retrieved them out a few hundred miles past our walls. There were a few bodies of what appeared to be bandits as well."

There was a long moment of silence before someone spoke again.

"Which of them was in the hospital?" Homura asked looking pointedly at the picture. Hiruzen pointed to a girl with chestnut brown hair in buns.

"The genin who lost her team, Tenten is training on her own awaiting for the next promotions where she will receive a new one."

He ended it there hoping they would catch on to the gravity of this situation. It was Danzo who spoke first.

"It is unfortunate we lost so many genin, and so soon. Though perhaps this is just coincidence?" he let the question hang in the air.

"Yes, Hiruzen I put the blame on the sensei's judgement. All of these missions were simple and all able to be successfully completed. Though there has been a lot of misfortune this year." She trailed off, most likely lost in thought.

"I refuse to believe that one of our capable jounin was defeated by mere bandits," The Hokage spit out.

"There is no evidence backing up the theory. They were all killed in different areas and by different foes none the less. There causes of death don't even correlate. Instances like this are rare, but have been known to happen Hiruzen. Even a highly trained jounin makes life ended mistakes." With those words he felt himself calm a bit.

"I agree, there are no patterns in their deaths, no trademarks or similar styles" Homura assessed.

Yes, throughout his life time he had bore witness to many, many incidents where someone was defeated by someone clearly inferior.

Whether it be because of being outnumbered, dumb luck, superior intellect/strategy, these things happened.

"And if it keeps happening?" he spoke louder. They understood the question in the air. Should we keep our genin close to home for a while?

All of the genin had completely the required amount of D-rank missions so the next step was obvious. They would be given C-ranks, some if not all requiring them to leave the village.

"Yes, the remaining three genin cells….?" Koharu spoke the question into existence.

"Well we can't coddle them, they won't garner progress that way. They should be given missions that are in tune with their abilities as usual." Homura offered.

He looked to Danzo, valuing his opinion. "They will fall behind Hiruzen, and our village cannot afford that"

The Hokage knew that it was there power hungry opinions speaking, but never the less this is what they truly believed was best for the village and those genin. And perhaps they were right.

After thinking it over for several long minutes and with a heavy heart, the Hokage nodded, accepting the advice of Konoha's trusted council. We can't shelter the genin from the world, just as they said. This decision he hoped, wasn't leading them to their deaths. Though in the back of his mind a voice told him to trust his instincts.

His instincts told him someone was hunting Konoha genin.

XXXXXXXXXXX

Naruto watched in mild irritation as Hinata performed the jutsu he announced as his nemesis. He narrowed his eyes and puffed his cheeks allowing air to flow out of his mouth.

"Yea yea, tease me why don't ya Hinata-chan" he spoke to her with a tad malice in his voice. So this was what she wanted to show them. Usually out of respect for him Hinata-chan and Sakura-chan didn't perform the jutsu around him.

The girl shook her head slightly and spoke.

"No Naruto, this is not the same jutsu, my father taught me this yesterday." She spoke answering his unspoken question. Then she motioned for him to touch the imitation of herself and he hesitantly moved to do so.

His eyes widened in confusion and wonder when he touched something solid and it did not disappear into existence, as he had been expecting.

"Ah that must be the shadow clone jutsu" Sakura added from under her tree. She got up moving toward them finding interest in what they were doing. When Hinata smiled and spoke confirmation the pinkette continued.

"It's been mentioned in a few scrolls but everywhere I read about it they don't include the hand signs" her voice trailed off. She looked to Hinata for hopefully an explanation.

"Yes it is a forbidden jutsu that is only passed down to the younger generation once they are deemed ready." Here the girl's voice spoke fondly, "Father decided I could do it. I was able to produce three but in doing so I depleted all of my chakra."

"Makes sense, the jutsu is describes as simple to perform but taking extraordinary amounts of chakra to produce even one." Sakura concluded. She herself had very little chakra, so that would not be a jutsu she would be interested in learning anytime soon if ever.

It was as if a lightbulb went off in the two girls head at once. They looked to one another and seeing they had the same thought their heads simultaneously whipped toward Naruto expectantly.

"What?" Naruto spoke a bit confused at their looks. When Hinata-chan and Sakura-chan looked to him with excitement he felt a hesitant smile form, out of pure habit. The jutsu was forbidden unless you're found worthy of learning right? Seeing as how he couldn't get the other down he would probably never learn this one.

"BAKA" Sakura-chan shouted making her way over to him and quickly karate chopping him on the head. Naruto distractedly rubbed the spot, used to her random bursts and awaited an explanation.

"Don't you see? This jutsu is made for you, it's the perfect substitute for the bunshin. Plus it's ten times better! " With each word she spoke Naruto felt his excitement grow as he understood. Hinata let her thoughts known that she agreed with Sakura-chan.

"Yes, seeing as how you use too much chakra you will never be able to produce a normal bunshin. This jutsu in theory is very compatible with you Naruto" Both Sakura-chan and Hinata-chan thought he could learn this jutsu. They were two of the smartest people in his class and his friends.

He trusted their judgment without a doubt. So if he learned this jutsu he'd be able to graduate? The boy clad in his orange jumpsuit was jumping up and down in excitement unable to conceal his excitement. Finally he had found the answer to his problems. Finally! It seemed he wouldn't be left behind after all.

He looked to the copy of Hinata with dazzling eyes. He would be able to make one of those? It just seemed so surreal.

He gave the air one last fist pump before settling down a bit. He pounced over to Hinata-chan urgently grabbing the girl's shoulder and staring her down seriously. He began his begging for Hinata-chan teach him the jutsu.

"Sorry Naruto but my father forbade me from teaching this to anyone. You would have to get permission from someone higher up." Naruto released the girl's shoulders and slumped for just a second. While disappointed at these words they could not damper his mood. He would finally conquer the jutsu that's haunted him for two years.

"It's okay Hinata-chan, I wouldn't want to get you in trouble" he finally spoke with his ever present grin. She shot him a quick smile, happy he understood.

Naruto knew where he needed to go. Discovering this he was no longer in the mood to spar. He's waited forever for this and he'd be damned if he waited a second longer.

"Sorry guys but it looks like I'll be leaving first today" he spoke. He didn't even wait for a response as he skipped away from the lake and broke out into a run, on his way to the Hokage tower.

Once he arrived and was done speaking to the Hokage's assistant he sat patiently, though bustling with joy in a seat awaiting his audience with the leader of the village.

Finally about fifteen minutes later he burst through the door, being able to wait no more. He tried struggling away from the arms restricting his movement done by one of the Hokage's assistants. The man's attempts were eventually futile as Naruto felt himself slipping out. Finally, out of the man's grasp he tumbled clumsily to the floor before he popped up. He shook his head and pat down his jumpsuit before looking up.

"HOKAGE-SAMA, WE NEED TO TALK" he declared to the top of his lungs, his blue gaze settling on the old man sitting away at his desk reading some papers. The Hokage, used to this behavior from the past few years finally looked up, raised a single eyebrow and looked to the nervous assistant.

Seeing as how the man was drenched in his own sweat and trembling Naruto assumed he must be new.

"I'm so so sorry lord Hokage I told him he shouldn't disturb you" the frail man apologized profusely for a few minutes before he bowed four times, very low and quickly made his escape. Naruto didn't even bother to watch him leave. The whole time he kept his eyes determinedly on the form of the third Hokage.

He was the person Naruto looked up to most after all. Naruto stalked up to the desk and crossed his arms together, mustering up his "time for serious business" pose.

"Naruto?" The Hokage finally spoke as he settled his pen down, looking at him expectedly. He looked a tab bit amused if nothing else.

Naruto took a deep breath to gather all his courage in his request.

It was time for him to move forward!

XXXXXXXXXXX

Naruto was shocked.

The third Hokage approved of his request, and he didn't even have to beg.

He didn't even have to beg he thought again in disbelief. After the Hokage agreed with his reasons for wanting to learn the shadow clone jutsu he took him to a large secluded training ground. Here he showed him the necessary hand signs to perform the jutsu. Then he told him to try and hold back his chakra as much as possible.

He tried, he really did. Though as he looked around the training ground there had to of been about a hundred of him! They were all talking and moving about! They looked just like him! Talked just like him! Acted just like him!

He had looked to his left finding interest in several clones who were discussing the best ramen flavor. He almost found himself joining before Hokage-same called out to him.

What followed was echoes of "yes?" as all of the clones around him looked to the Hokage. That had admittedly irritated him, being as he was _the_ Naruto Uzumaki.

If he wasn't in his own body, even he would wonder which one was the real one.

This jutsu was just amazing! For the next thirty minutes the Hokage spent some time telling him all he knew about the jutsu and warning him of the repercussions to using it.

"Remember Naruto, there will come a time when even you will find yourself low on chakra. When that time comes I advise you not to use this jutsu." He spoke, his face gravely serious.

The words went in one ear and out the other as all Naruto heard was how awesome this jutsu was. He could defeat like a million enemies at once with it!

After that he found himself back at the training ground with his friends, where he showed off the new jutsu. His nose figuratively grew long as he became lost in the sea of identical copies of himself. It was only after a few minutes, so they could truly grasp how awesome he was did he finally disperse the jutsu. He found himself slightly sad that they were all gone.

He placed his hands on his hips in triumph, waiting for his friends to voice their amazement at what he could do. It was the first thing he had ever been able to do that he was better than anybody else at. The Hokage himself told him he was special and the only one within the village who could easily produce that many copies without feeling it. Could you blame him for feeling so much pride in himself for once?

It was Hinata-chan that spoke first.

"Naruto… that was impressive." Her words whispered out in awe. Her lavender eyes were wide and doe like. She grabbed her arms that were still tingling, she couldn't believe she just witnessed that act.

Then Sakura-chan.

"Wow Naruto! I knew you had a lot of chakra but geez! Learn some self-control why don't you!" then she went off muttering about how one Naruto was enough, and anymore was just torture.

Naruto happily voiced his thoughts. "Guys, I feel like a weights been lifted from my shoulders! Now I can look forward to getting past this year and being placed on the same team with you two! Dattebayo!" he ended with his favorite phrase and a thumbs up.

Naruto bounced around in excitement before he noticed the two girls were not joining in. Why was it that whenever he brought up graduating they got like this? Hinata-chan had her sandal in the dirt refusing to meet his eyes while Sakura-chan looked at him with an emotion he recognized immediately.

Pity

"Guys?" he spoke hesitantly, his eyebrows furrowing together. There was a knot in his stomach as the two girls shared a look. They did that a lot and he hated being out of the loop. It was Hinata-chan who finally spoke, taking a step closer to him.

"Naruto, it's nearly impossible for us three to be on a team together." Her voice was sad, leaving Naruto to believe this was not some joke they were pulling on him.

"Why not? We'd kick ass and we have great team work!" he spoke, seeing no flaws in his argument. It should be as simple as that, he wanted them on his team and no one else!

"Yes, together we could be a good team but it would feel like were missing something. Maybe someone with a lot of ninjutsu experience and good with tools?" Sakura took the reins on convincing the blond to see reason.

"So we add someone else?" Naruto tilted his head once again confused. The academy didn't do four man teams right?

"No, Naruto, we will be placed on different teams that can use our talents the most. Besides, it's very unlikely for them to place two girls with a boy. What kind of team would we be anyway?" She scoffed in the end.

"One that would kick ass" he replied seriously.

He watched as Hinata-chan muffled her giggles and Sakura-chan sighed shaking her head, giving up. So Hinata-chan took over once more. She took a seat, followed by Sakura-chan. He caught the hint, so he moved to sit down awaiting the explanation he knew was to come.

"Naruto, there is a chance that you and Sakura could be placed on a team together but not me. Seeing as how the heir of the Aburame clan is in our class along with an Inuzuka, the son of the Matriarch none the less, I believe there is an overwhelming chance I will be placed on a scouting team with them."

She looked to him hoping he would understand.

"B-But why them?" he finally spoke. He was not so dumb that he couldn't understand her explanation. It was the fact that he couldn't accept the reasoning that kept him questioning. Luckily for him Hinata-chan was very patient.

"In the past cells of scouting teams with an Aburame, Inuzuka, and Hyuga have proven to be very successful. My clan's eyes, the Aburame insects and Inuzuka nose make us a formidable team. The village has an opportunity to make a team out of prominent clan members of each this coming year. It would be nothing short of foolish to do anything else."

He was very quiet, unwilling to accept the explanation that made so much sense to even him.

Hinata prayed that Naruto's qualities would not end his life so soon. She sent a second prayer to kami that Sakura ended up on his team, she would surely stop any stupid decisions he'd make. Naruto in turn would look after Sakura, who would surely need his help as well. They would hopefully watch over each other.

"Naruto, you are very rash and can hit hard. Add that with your endless chakra and stamina, you are perfect for a team that directly faces the enemy. Sakura, will surely become an excellent medic nin, something vital for a frontal assault team that you will be placed on."

There it was. Naruto saw a glimmer of hope! He spoke up immediately.

"But Hinata-chan you're really tough too! Your taijutsu makes you so hard to be beat, and it's almost impossible to touch you!"

Hinata-chan offered him a sad smile, letting him know she too had thought of it from this angle.

"Yes, I do have some abilities that will qualify me for an assault team, but it will not happen. As heiress of my clan the elders will most likely request I be put on the scouting team. It doesn't do much but being on a scouting team doing mostly recon missions would be the least life endangering path I can take as a Kunoichi. The best case scenario is that I survive until my clan is ready for me to step up as the new leader."

Another long pause overcame the group before Naruto finally found his voice.

"We won't be on a team together?" It had come out as a question but it was just him repeating the news that has now dawned on him. There was a crushing wait on his shoulders and for the first time, Naruto found himself not looking forward to becoming a genin. If all three of them weren't together then there was no point.

"No, Naruto" Sakura spoke softly, with that finality in her voice that had a way of ending conversations. Then she attempted to change the topic as Naruto still looked into the grass, his face as if he had seen a ghost.

"What about your cousin, Hinata, what kind of team is he on?" he heard Sakura speak. Knowing her she probably found the topics of how teams were placed interesting.

"Neji-niisan has scouting and frontal assault abilities like myself but his team does not have a specialty. Personally I think he would be happier near the action but it seems his sensei has not chosen an area of expertise for them yet."

Sakura nodded at this new piece of information, "You never did tell us why Neji graduated a semester early"

"Oh it must have escaped me! The class he graduated with was seriously lacking in numbers. Only eight children were being promoted to genin. The Hokage not liking the idea of a two man team really wanted someone to even things out. Niisan was the obvious contender."

"Well, does your cousin like his team?"

All the while Naruto silently listened to the conversation going on, sulking. Momentarily distracted, he looked up in time to see Hinata-chan and Sakura-chan sharing a laugh.

"Neji-niisan describes them as very lacking. He considers himself superior to them in every way. He doesn't have many opportunities to analyze the other teams but he believes he was set up being placed on this one. He swears they have to be the rejects of their graduating semester."

He watched Hinata-chan giggle into her hand thinking of her beloved cousin, that she often told them was more like her brother.

"Your cousin sounds very cocky Hinata" Sakura-chan spoke the words aloud with distaste speaking the thoughts of both him and her.

Hinata-chan had a contemplating look on her face, considering that before she ultimately shook her head.

"Niisan is very aware of his limitations, you just have to work hard to earn his respect."

"Well ill definitely earn his respect! I'm going to be Hokage ya know!" After the horrible conversation, Naruto was glad for the topic change. He was always ready to let everyone know he was up for a challenge.

Sakura-chan and Hinata-chan offered him small smiles at the news, that wasn't anywhere close to being new information.

"Naruto, why do you want to be Hokage?" Sakura-chan asked. Looking to Hinata-chan he saw that she also was interested to find out why.

He thought about how he could put this in the simplest way. Without lying, and without them asking questions.

"So everyone will like me for me." There, he was satisfied with that answer. The villagers and the shinobi always seemed like they were forcing themselves to be kind, to like him. They tried to hide it but looking at him he could see the glimmers of hurt in their eyes.

He reminded them of painful memories. So while they were nice, Naruto really wanted to believe that the acts were genuine. The only way he could do that was becoming their beloved Hokage.

Sakura-chan and Hinata-chan shot him strange looks but none the less they didn't inquire further.

XXXXXXXXXXX

Hinata-chan was on a mission.

….Or at least that was what she was acting like.

Naruto watched a bit jealousy as she jumped off a rooftop with ease, her byakugan eyes flashing for a moment before he lost sight of it. She quickly pulled ahead of them ignoring their pleas for her to slow down.

Naruto found himself for once, sharing a look with Sakura-chan who simply rolled her eyes. Then the pinkette kicked up her speed a notch to match the determined little Hyuga. Naruto, not to be left behind tried to kick up his speed as well then to his horror lost his footing and found himself tumbling onto the roof ahead of him.

He shot a quick look to his left, and then to his right and sighed in relief at no one witnessing the embarrassing exploit.

Behind him he looked to the top of the roof he had previously jumped off of sheepishly. He had accidentally added too much chakra and as a result a gaping hole was upon the roof. He gulped looking at the mess he created. Turning around to see that he was losing sight of his friends he turned around, mesmerizing the area.

He promised he would return to apologize and make it up to the owner.

But for now he needed to know what the deal was with Hinata-chan!

Finally after a couple minutes he caught back up to Hinata-chan and Sakura-chan. He was just in time to catch the end of their conversation.

"Our company will not be welcomed Hinata" Sakura-chan hesitantly put out there.

"Perhaps, but he should not be alone today" Hinata replied defiantly. Her mind was set.

"What are you guys talking about?" he had finally caught up.

"Hinata wants to find Sasuke" Sakura sighed, not sparing him a glance.

"The teme? Wha, WHY?" he felt himself screech in disbelief. Out of all things this could have been about that was the thing he was least expecting. The boy was a mean little bastard if you asked him! What would Hinata-chan want with him? For the life of him he could not understand the connection between them. Since he's met her he's felt in the dark about their relationship.

So for the next couple hours they went on like this searching for why he could not understand, the teme.

They finally found him by the outskirts of Konoha at an empty training ground. He was practicing taijutsu with a clone….. hey that was a pretty good idea. Why hasn't he thought of that?

As they got closer Sasuke dispersed the clone and turned to them with a look that could only be irritation. Hinata moved to get closer and speak with him.

Naruto took the time to survey the training field. He's never really been around this area before, it was close to where the Uchiha district was located.

He moved in the direction of the trio wondering what he could be missing out on.

"A bet?" Sasuke scoffed looking at Hinata incredulously. Whatever Hinata-chan had said Sasuke was not taking it serious.

"No" with those words Hinata-chan pouted in disappointment.

Naruto didn't even what they were talking about but he knew a chicken when he saw one!

"What? You scared teme? Hinata-chan could beat you at anything!"

Sasuke glared at him, his face looking as if he just swallowed something untasteful. Naruto continued to mock the scared Uchiha, childishly laughing and pointing at him. Then he turned his body and after placing his behind in the air continuously slapped it. Until finally having enough the Uchiha cut him off,

"Fine, your terms Hyuga?" he was looking to Hinata-chan and Naruto found himself wondering once more what this could be about.

Hinata-chan's face brightened with excitement and she shot him a quick, thankful look before she took a moment to think, as if she didn't expect to get this far.

"If I win then you have to be my f-friend!" she spoke knowing exactly what she wanted. She glanced at him and Sakura-chan before adding he would have to be friends with them too. Naruto grimaced at that, not liking the idea of this bet. Why would he want to be friends with a jerk?

Sasuke's frown deepened at her words and he closed his eyes. "If you win I will train with you a few times" he corrected.

Hinata face was crestfallen but she seemed to accept those terms.

"What do I get out of this?" he contemplated.

Naruto nervously looked to Hinata-chan. There was no way she could have something that Sasuke wanted, right? What kind of interest does an evil guy like Sasuke have anyway?

Hinata-chan, probably expecting such a retort from the last Uchiha pulled out a scroll. She leaned a little closer allowing the Uchiha to read the wording on the binds. Sasuke gave the scroll a measuring glance before Hinata pulled back.

"Deal"

"Sakura-chan! What's in the scroll?" He shook the girl beside him anxiously, the curiosity eating him alive. Sasuke had took one look at the scroll and accepted immediately!

"Probably a jutsu" the girl shrugged her shoulders, her interest not on him but what was to occur. He too placed his attention back on the pair.

"Standard taijutsu spar?" Sasuke questioned raising a single eyebrow. He began to unclip the weapons and shinobi pouch on him, they would only slow him down.

"No" Hinata dismissed shaking her head. Naruto noticed that she was biting her lip, as if she wasn't even sure of the decision she was about to make. Eventually, she turned toward them and asked Sakura-chan for a kunai. Naruto felt himself grow more and more baffled by the turn of events. Hinata-chan never carried weapons, so what was going on?

Sakura-chan, pulled out a couple kunai from her weapon's pouch. Hinata-chan took them thankfully and made her way back over to Sasuke.

All while this was happening Sasuke had been looking at Hinata long and hard, sizing her up, and patiently waiting for her to lay out the terms.

" I am going to show you guys why my attendance for the academy was prolonged" Hinata, not bothering to address there puzzled expression went through a series of unfamiliar hand signals.

Then there was a 'poof' sound and what followed was a dusty cloud that soon disappeared.

 _Gigantic_

That was the first word that came to mind as his sights settled on the creature before him, his eyes as wide as saucers.

Even then he felt the word did not do the intimidating, specimen justice. He licked his lips nervously, eyeing the dangerous wolf with caution. He was huge, and he revealed his large white canines when he opened his mouth in a snarl. As a result thick spit came flying out in several directions. His teeth, they looked so sharp as if they could pierce metal, and easily at that.

Naruto felt himself shrinking back.

His claws were easily the length of half his body and they stabbed into the earth when he curled them, hunching his body over. His fur was dark black or more accurately, it was the color of coal. The kind of darkness that would have you reaching out blindly when your eyes were wide open. Though his eyes were a glowing, brilliant, gold making for a deep contrast to his fur. The eyes took in his surroundings and seemed to soften as they briefly landed on Hinata-chan.

Though when they looked to Sakura-chan, Sasuke, and then finally himself he felt like he would wet his pants. The beast was looking at him like he was a snack after all.

"Senshi" Hinata addressed the wolf in a scolding manner, she was oozing disapproval at his behavior. When the wolf twisted his head and brushed it lightly against Hinata's body he looked on in a mix of fear and amazement.

"Everyone, this is Senshi my summoning. Senshi, these are my friends." She spoke introducing them with what could only be pride in her voice.

He looked toward Sakura-chan who was just as fearful as he was. She had noticeably increased her distance by several feet, but was now still, almost as if frozen in place. Then there was Sasuke who just had his ever present frown on his face. The boy looked like he wanted to correct her when she introduced him as a friend, but he decided against it. Naruto took notice of the boy's fingers that were inching toward his weapons pouch, prepared for anything at a moment's notice.

Naruto found himself and the others looking around wearily, for they knew where there was one wolf, a pack was _always_ nearby. Hinata-chan must have noticed this before she intervened.

"Senshi is the last of his kind. His pack was killed off, I am his family now." She corrected placing a comforting hand on one of the wolf's long legs. At her height that was the only area she could hope to reach.

"Sasuke, we will be fighting you two on one unless you enlist the help of Naruto or Sakura. Though Senshi and I will not be using jutsu. I will not use my gentle fist….or my Byakugan for that matter. You are welcome to use whatever." She laid out the terms hoping he'd come to accept them. She knew Sasuke, he would fight this battle alone. Though if he had called onto Naruto for help things would be more difficult.

"No, I don't need help" Sasuke declared as his smirk came to life. He always welcomed a challenge. Anything to help him grow stronger after all.

Hinata offered him a smirk back "Then prepare yourself." The wolf dipped his head and Hinata jumped placing a hand on his head and using the force to propel herself onto his back. Once there, she settled herself comfortably.

From the sidelines Naruto felt himself deflate in disappointment. For a second there he was hoping Sasuke would ask him to join in. On one hand he would have to partner up with the stupid teme but on the other hand he would get to fight a freaking Wolf! How cool would that be?!

"Begin" Sakura-chan shouted. He whipped his head to the pinkette and then to Sasuke who took off in the direction of the forest in a fast sprint.

The wolf leaped, just barely missing landing on the boy's body and then took off after him growling and snarling as he went. Once they were enveloped by the thick forest and were out of sight he looked to Sakura-chan.

"But I wanted to fight too" he whined pathetically to Sakura.

Sakura rolled her eyes but otherwise ignored him, keeping her attention in the direction of the forest for any clues on what could be going on inside.

He was so jealous!

A few minutes later he saw spouts of flame creep into existence and then disappear. He felt his need to know what was going on unbearable.

"Should we go check it out?" he inquired jumping up and down in poorly concealed frenzy.

"I don't know, looks kind of dangerous" Sakura faltered.

Naruto deciding that all she needed was a little push grabbed her hand before yanking her in the direction of the forest. Ignoring here half-hearted protest, he had a smile on his face. Maybe the teme would decide he needed his help once he got there?

Once inside the forest they followed the sounds of growling to find Hinata-chan and Sasuke's battle.

Finding a large tree that was close enough but to spectate and shouldn't place them in too much danger they jumped running up the tree and landed on a branch, ready to see some action.

Hinata-chan was placed securely on the wolves back while Sasuke had both of his hands full of weapons and wire in his mouth. Naruto watched Sasuke's technique as he threw kunai and shuriken at the pair. The two dodged the weapons successfully but Naruto eyes widened at the direction they were running to. In that moment a burst of sunshine poured into the forest and reflected off of Sasuke's wires, which they were on a collision path to.

The wolf back flipped himself using the bark of a tree as leverage. As he did he twirled in midair, expertly dodging the well placed wires Sasuke had placed.

Sasuke was not done.

He moved the wires with his two hands and his mouth hoping to get them while they were midair. Hinata, seeing this coming expertly threw one of her two kunai. The kunai halted the movement of the wires for a split second, but it was all the time they needed to be out of harm's way.

Still in midair Hinata stood up from her sitting position and launched herself at Sasuke, kunai in hand. Sasuke raised his hand for the incoming attack and all that could be heard in the forest was a clang as metal hit metal.

Hinata, coming from higher ground forced Sasuke's body to hit the ground, her's quickly following his.

"Go Hinata-chan" Naruto found himself whispering in awe.

Sasuke quickly formed the hand signs necessary for his signature fire ball jutsu and he shot them after the girl who retreated. Each one missed its mark as by that point Hinata-chan had already leaped away and landed onto the back of her summon.

Sasuke was breathing heavy but had a look of deep contemplation upon his face. He took several deep breaths before picking up a kunai, reversing his grip.

The wolf was a large target so maybe Sasuke's hope was to hit it.

That's what Naruto would do after all. Charging ahead hasn't failed him yet!

While the wolf was a large target he was unbelievably fast. Every time Sasuke attempted to use that quality to his advantage, Hinata intervened, nullifying his actions.

Since Sasuke was so close Hinata jumped off her wolf's back and engaged him in a kunai fight. Sasuke was stronger than her, so every time Hinata-chan felt herself being pushed back she would quickly move out the way as her wolf came in to try his hand at attacking.

Sasuke could not catch a break being constantly attacked.

Sasuke was doing really well as he faced down two foes at once, he swiped in the air, missing Hinata as she back flipped away.

Naruto cringed at the sound of the wolf's teeth clamping together. He had just barely missed Sasuke.

Then the wolf's movements became noticeably sluggish and slower. Naruto couldn't see any signs as to why this was happening. Sasuke with his kunai got in close, slashing at the wolf, drawing blood.

Next he kicked Hinata who had come to her summons defense. When had Hinata's taijutsu become so sloppy he wondered as the girl threw a punch toward the Uchiha that with little effort was dodged and countered.

He hit the girl in the back of her head and her body slumped as unconsciousness overcame her. The wolf growled and whined, feeling his master's pain. His golden eyes were filled with hate as he jumped at Sasuke, no doubt planning to take off his head.

Naruto felt his stomach go queasy when Sasuke moved and slashed one of the wolf's eyes and blood came squirting out. The wolf was wriggling around on the forest floor in pain, whining before eventually the sounds escalated to screams and-

"Kai" Sakura whispered next to him.

Wait, what?

He looked to her curiously before he realized he had been cast in a genjutsu. He noticed his heart rate was escalated and he calmed himself to return it to normal. Sasuke was a jerk but there was no way he'd do that to Hinata-chan's wolf right?

Genjutsu just felt so real.

"Sasuke's genjutsu affected us from all the way over here, but Hinata and her wolf seemed to notice it way before us." Sakura-chan's tone was impressed but at who Naruto did not know. Sakura-chan always did have a knack for pointing out genjutsu, and it seemed that even without her eyes Hinata-chan was still good as well.

He supposed he owed Sasuke some credit for placing the genjutsu to begin with. He wiped his damp forehead with his sleeve, jeez he wasn't in the fight but he was just as nervous!

He looked back in time to see the wolf's long fluffy tail come in contact with Sasuke's mid-section. Naruto watched with a little bit of horror as the boy went flying through the forest and his back hit the bark of a tree with a loud thud. His body lifelessly slid down, and he took all but three seconds to get himself together before attempting to get up.

Naruto respected the effort.

The attempt was useless though because Hinata-chan was there, with her kunai pressed against his neck, and her loyal wolf standing not too far behind her.

"YAY! GO HINATA-CHAN!" Naruto shouted out still in disbelief by her brilliant teamwork she showed with her summon. If only he could have tried his hand in fighting the two, they were so cool! He would surely have to ask her now!

He felt pride in his friend's victory, he never doubted for a second she would win.

Once Hinata-chan unsummoned her wolf it took a lot of convincing on her part to let Sasuke to allow Sakura to check him over. Naruto thought the boy was too damn prideful. Hinata noticeably relaxed when everything checked out to be fine. Sasuke wouldn't let Sakura handle his minor injuries though. Much to her disappointment at not being able to practice her medical skills.

"It's good you don't have any internal bleeding or any damage organs, I can't handle those yet." Sakura voiced, heck she still didn't know how to wrap cracked ribs yet. She had a long way to go.

Naruto remained quiet his mind still on the battle that took place.

"I ..want…a rematch" Sasuke finally declared, still attempting to catch his breath. The boy's hair was damp from sweat, some sticking out in odd directions while others clung to his skin. He allowed one hand to pass through his hair before he gripped a few strands tightly, balling his hand into a fist.

Naruto could empathize with Sasuke's frustration. No one liked to lose, especially not him! Now the boy would have to hold up his end up the deal. Naruto cheekily chuckled to himself at the thought of Sasuke being stuck hanging with them for a while.

Then he stopped his chuckling at that thought. Ugh they would be stuck with this moody jerk for a while? He sighed to himself looking into the sky, as if asking why him. Why did Hinata-chan want to be friends with him so badly, he wasn't as cool as all the girls thought he was!

"Anytime" Hinata promised as she dropped the scroll she used to lure him into the bet, into his lap, it making a plopping sound as it landed. Sasuke picked up the scroll, analyzed it, and gave her a questioning look as if to say 'what is this for?'

"Happy Birthday Sasuke" Hinata finally spoke, her face gentle and the words spoken softly. Looking at her face she looked as if she had been trying to get those words out for a long time.

Wait what? It was the jerks birthday? Naruto tried to figure out the date before he gave up and asked for himself.

"Teme! It's your birthday?" hearing a smacking sound he turned confusedly behind him to see that Sakura-chan's hand was upon her face. Once she pulled the hand away he shot her a look, wondering why on earth she would smack herself.

He left it to the simple explanation that girls were weird.

"Well happy birthday I guess" he muttered scratching his cheek. The boy was a jerk but if it was his birthday he had to wish for him to have a good one. It was part of the manners the old man at the ramen stand had been trying to ingrain in him.

"Yea, Happy birthday and all that" Sakura-chan had her arms across her chest and was looking off into the distance. She really looked like she didn't want to be here right now. That makes two of us Sakura-chan.

Naruto felt himself seething as Sasuke didn't respond to any of them. Right when he was ready to pounce on the ungrateful Uchiha he saw it.

Sasuke was sitting and was looking down at the ground. Slowly, he tilted his head in Hinata-chan's direction followed up by Sakura-chan's and then himself.

Was that his way of saying thanks? He thought dumbly, what rude manners!

Hinata-chan though had a pleased smile on her face and Sakura-chan mumbled "your welcome, I guess" so he decided if it was enough for them then it was enough for him.

Hinata-chan and Sakura-chan were his precious friends, so of course he wouldn't feel all cozy with them around a potential foe.

"Hmph" he responded eyeing the Uchiha with suspicion. He still didn't trust him. So he'd keep his eye on him!

Then suddenly his collar was grabbed and he was being dragged. He was gasping for air and coughing. When released, he found the culprit was Sakura-chan who was now in a fighting stance. She had a wicked grin on her face to match her determined eyes.

"What gives Sakura-chan?" he got out in between coughs. Sakura-chan was known to be rough with him, and sometimes he deserved it but this time he didn't even do anything! Swear!

"Were the only ones who haven't gotten to spar today, so go." At that he let a savage smile fill his face. He shoved his sandals in the dirt and bent his knees out outward, slowly almost teasingly raising his fists, and then

he charged forward!

XXXXXXXXXXX

Naruto sat pouting away as Sasuke stole his sparring partner. Sakura-chan was busy meditating under a tree and no matter what he tried he could not get the girl to fight him.

Hinata-chan had showed Sakura-chan that meditating was a good way to help expand your chakra coils. The pinkette was borderline obsessed with increasing her chakra reserves.

Naruto knew what a few times meant. Everyone he asked told him three to seven times. So after the seventh time Sasuke was done training with his friends and him he had smiled at the Uchiha before sarcastically wishing him a good life.

He thought they would be rid of his presence.

So imagine his confusion as the next day he found their usual training ground by the lake empty. He had looked for them everywhere before coming to this place. For the life of him he could not comprehend why Sakura-chan was mediating and Hinata-chan was speaking with Sasuke normally.

When they had noticed his presence they had asked why it took him so long to get here. He in turn, had no response other than to open and close his mouth like a fish.

Didn't they understand that their friendship was at stake here? No, not just that, his peace of mind was in danger!

So much to Naruto's dismay this stupid training field that Sasuke used had become their new spot.

And Naruto did not like it one bit.

Now back to the present Naruto looked on in poorly concealed irritation as Hinata-chan and Sasuke sparred.

Somehow the boy had eased his way into _his_ group….and without even trying.

The situation was already irritating but the fact that it was now a reoccurring thing was what made his blood boil the most.

Yea sure there was that one time the Uchiha gave in and sparred with him, and he lost in less than a couple minutes. But so what? He just wasn't ready is all…so it didn't count.

Whenever he tried to join in or fight Sasuke the boy would deny him. The Uchiha would spout some nonsense that he was inferior to him in every way before telling Hinata-chan to spar with him.

Yes, you heard him right! He never asked, he _told_ Hinata-chan to spar with him, and she always obliged. It was either that or he used poor Hinata-chan as moving target practice for all his weapon training.

The nerve of him!

Even Sakura-chan who he hoped would be on his side was growing used to the stupid Uchiha. A few times Naruto watched in annoyance as the two sat reading their respective scrolls or books under the shade of the SAME tree.

Heck, Sakura-chan was taking advantage of the fact that Sasuke was good with genjutsu. The boy made her an offer that if she could best him in a spar, he'd show her the hand signs for one. Ever since then Sakura-chan had become much more motivated in her spars.

He thought only he could fire Sakura-chan up…

Sasuke did all this while ignoring Naruto.

Sasuke was stealing his two friends without trying and embarrassed him in front of them by beating him soundly. He had thought long and hard how to handle the pesky little Uchiha. He became so concerned with the situation he even went to lord Hokage for help!  
Though he wasn't much help since he just kept chuckling in amusement.

So Naruto did what any sensible promising shinobi would do.

He declared Sasuke as his rival!

And then he was promptly ignored.

XXXXXXXXXXX

Naruto had a plan as he walked in for today's training. Yes, today he would finally be rid of the thing growing underneath his skin.

Sasuke Uchiha.

"Hey Sasuke" he spoke seriously curling his upper lip and placing a hand on his hip for support.

Luckily it wasn't too hot out, making it a nice day in August. Naruto enjoyed the slight breeze that helped to calm his nerves.

Naruto whizzed his hands together to form the hand signs that were becoming one with him. As a result around a hundred clones filled the training ground.

Sasuke, for once turned to him in slight surprise, before a half smirk came, and disappeared.

"Fine dobe, I'll take you on" the way he made it seem like fighting him was such a chore only pumped Naruto up more! He would enjoy teaching that jerk a lesson.

Afterwards Naruto came to hate the fireball jutsu and Sasuke even more.

Then August came to an end and they began their fourth years at the academy.

The Uchiha still avoided them at the academy. For the most part, he didn't sit with them and for that Naruto was grateful, but his presence was always seemed to be there. As the girls would always question what he would think about whatever topic they were on. Sometimes Hinata-chan could convince Sasuke to eat lunch with them. Naruto considered these days to be the worst.

As someone who was used to whispers and stares he caught on to them immediately. There fellow classmates had noticed the changes in Sasuke. As someone who had never associated himself with anyone in the academy to now being seen on speaking terms with three must have been mind boggling.

The fact that two of these people were girls, riled up the fangirls. Though they could not act as the two girls were Sakura-chan and Hinata-chan. By themselves they were fearsome, but in the two on two spars they participated in now as four years, they were unstoppable.

Naruto usually found himself paired with Kiba, or even worse…Sasuke.

Naruto refused to consider Sasuke one of them. He hadn't earned his trust.

With the new academy year they met some interesting people. One of the most interesting to him being a boy named Lee. Sure the boy was very weird with his Karate like outfit and thick eyebrows, but he was entertaining.

Lee had failed his graduation exam, so he would have to wait until the end of the semester to take the new one. He refused to tell anyone the reason behind his failure though.

The life as a fourth year in the academy was different compared to being third years in many ways. For one, things just felt more real. In a little less than a year they would all be graduating. As genin they would be on their way to becoming protectors of this village ensuring the safety and security of all the occupants who called it home.

The thought of holding so much responsibility brought bundles of nervousness and excitement to him. He was nervous deep down but he thought he was ready. He had to be.

In addition, in a new development, the academy had begun handing out D-rank missions. Naruto more than once found himself stuck with a team of two people he did not like. He would be in a very sour mood as he argued with said teammates on how things should be done.

Naruto just wanted to be on a team with one if not both of his friends. They were more fun to hang around. Plus he accepted Hinata-chan and Sakura-chan's judgment on how to go about things.

He had watched his friends and the teme discuss the reasoning behind this with a frown. He never had anything to offer to those kinds of conversations.

They had concluded that the academy was searching for compatibility. Since D-rank missions provided no threat and needed team work it was the perfect way. Plus, they were paid which proved as motivation for many of his classmates.

Naruto supposed that made sense.

XXXXXXXXXXX

Sakura-chan and he were currently at the gates of the academy awaiting the much anticipated arrival of their friend. Every couple of seconds he looked in every direction trying to pinpoint Hinata-chan's form.

The village was in peril.

They had lost their last genin team of the previous year, yesterday. Hinata hadn't shown up to the academy (much to their concern) for obvious reasons with her cousin being on that team.

It was the hot topic of the village.

It was horrendous, no one in the village had ever heard of such a thing happening. Even in war time a genin had a better chance of surviving than this past year, some spoke. Never, had the village lost all of its genin teams within a year.

It's never happened in history. Those were the words people kept speaking in hushed whispers as they suspected conspiracy. Everyone was afraid of what this could mean.

Was it just plain stupid bad luck or was there something more?

"Hey you know what I heard about that genin team?" Someone spoke.

Naruto zoned out the voices as he worriedly looked around for his friend. Really, Hinata-chan's cousin was especially lucky to make it back alive. You can't really trust the gossip mill of the village but everyone was saying the genin team encountered a team of jounin from another village!

He wondered how much truth there was to the rumors. How did Hinata-chan's cousin survive anyway? There were many different theories the house wives at the markets happily filled him in on but who knew which was true.

Some said the boy abandoned his team immediately when it happened. Though from the way Hinata-chan describes her cousin, that didn't really sound like him. He hoped that as a shinobi, abandoning a comrade was something the boy would never do, being related to Hinata-chan.

There was one rumor that the jounin had just let him go and live and somehow he made his way back to the village! That one sounded silly even to his ears though, like really? Some people pushed it further, their imagination making it seem like they brainwashed the boy so his allegiance was now to another village. 'It wouldn't be the first time I've heard of it happening' he overheard a shinobi conversing with another.

Then there was the one that made the most sense. That a Konoha team returning from a mission, came to the genin team's defense. Though they were too late and were only able to save the life of Neji. It's said that they quickly took out the others before rushing Neji back to the village for medical assistance.

Done his thinking he looked up in time to see Hinata-chan was walking slowly in their direction. Her eyes were their typical gloomy lavender shade and she walked with the grace her clan expected of her.

He ran up to her, engulfing her in a hug immediately.

"Hinata-chan we heard what happened! Is your cousin okay?" He asked concerned on how his friend was feeling. His eyes traced over her form looking for signs that she too was okay even though his mind knew it was not her that was in danger.

"He's in critical condition right now but the doctors say he is expected to make a full recovery and be able to continue his career with no difficulties." Hinata-chan spoke relieved, but there was still a trace of worry in her voice.

"Whew, that's good Hinat-"

Sakura-chan it seemed was not on the same page as him.

"Is what everyone saying true? Is there any truth to the rumors?" Naruto watched in pure befuddlement as Sakura-chan's face heated up in anger, her voice purely accusatory.

What rumors? Was what true?

"Rumors? What are you guys talking about?" He looked back and forth between the two hoping to make sense of the situation. Both of the girls ignored him as their eyes were locked on one another.

"Sakura…. a clan does whatever they can to protect their own." Hinata chose her words carefully. She herself had no clue if her clan had truly done what everyone thinks. Seeing as how they allowed Neji to graduate without too much fuss, she wouldn't put it past them.

Naruto furrowed his brows, the turn of the conversation confusing him even more.

"Someone tell me what's going on" he whined shooting his eyes from Sakura-chan to Hinata-chan.

Sakura with a look of disgust on her face looked to Hinata expectedly. Seeing as the girl would not respond to Naruto she took the opportunity to.

"Her clan paid off Neij's sensei. They told him if he were to ever be in a life endangering situation to save him over the other students at all cost!"

The pinkette looked to Hinata, wondering how she would talk herself out of this.

Hinata-chan's clan paid off her cousin's sensei? The way Hinata-chan spoke about her clan was with nothing but the utmost respect and prestige. There was no way…but he had to be sure.

"Hinata-chan your clan wouldn't do that…. right?" Naruto thought, but as he looked toward her face, he knew the answer.

"I cannot say for sure they did such a thing. I am in the dark as much as you are, but I wouldn't be surprised." She had great difficulty speaking the words that would give her friends a bad image of her clan.

"See, that's the problem with you damn clans! You give us civilians no chance! No hope at surviving as shinobi! " Naruto looked to the pinkette who threw her hands up in anger and stomped off on her way to the classroom. When he turned around to say something to Hinata-chan, she too was gone.

It didn't happen often but he hated it when they fought. The bickering was usually between himself and Sakura-chan. It just never felt right when his two friends fought.

Once inside the classroom, Naruto looked helplessly to Sakura-chan and then Hinata-chan who were sitting on opposite sides of the classroom. Naruto had made the mistake of unintentionally taking someone's side before. Learning from that lesson he picked a safe spot in the front. This way he would be clueless to the building tension and any looks they would be shooting each other.

When it was break time he would approach Hinata-chan…without Sakura-chan knowing of course. She would be willing to end their fight.

"Naruto, I know deep inside that what my clan did was wrong but I am glad they did it. So I cannot apologize to Sakura and mean it." Hinata-chan's face was honest and she raised an eyebrow. That was the only semblance of an apology she would offer him for not being able to make up with Sakura.

Those were words he never thought would come out of Hinata-chan's mouth. The Hyuga was always working hard to settle any disputes in the group. She wanted them all to get along.

Having two stubborn friends was proving to be difficult.

"Hinata-chan please?" he asked feeling himself deflate, knowing it was useless.

Hinata-chan was always willing to hear someone out, but once her mind was made up, there was no changing it.

And right now her mind was definitely made up. Seeing her shake his head he only had one other option.

He was off to find Sakura-chan.

"APOLOGIZE? APOLOGIZE FOR WHAT?" Naruto covered his ears at the painful screech Sakura-chan let out. He had been expecting this. He would have to play his cards right if he wanted to make it out the lion's den alive.

"Sakura-chan, Hinata-chan's cousin almost died and you were a bit insensitive…" There hopefully that was good enough.

"Well he's alive isn't he? And all thanks to the money they have." That plan went out the window. Naruto scratched his head trying to come up with another idea.

"Geez Naruto as a fellow civilian I would expect you to be more upset about this. What if that was you?" she looked at him suspiciously. Naruto knew she was fishing. She was trying to see whose side he was currently taking.

"I would be strong enough so I wouldn't need my sensei to save my life over my friends. So strong I would make sure all of us lived." He spoke with his heart, but he believed his words.

Seeing as how Sakura-chan didn't get upset, she accepted this answer.

"Sakura-chan why does what Hinata-chan's clan did make you so mad?" he was treading the waters carefully. This question was crucial to getting to the heart of the problem.

"I'm upset because of those other two genin. They never had a chance from the beginning. The moment everything was to happen, their fate was sealed. And they didn't even know it" Sakura huffed as if that was obvious, flipping her long hair.

"Maybe you should tell Hinata-chan this…?"

"Me? No way, it should be her."

Naruto felt his shoulders slump in defeat.

Then he felt his face brighten with an idea. A few hand signals later there were a swarm of Uzumaki's surrounding Sakura-chan.

That was way too many, so he got rid of some and ended up down to five.

"Carry her and follow me" he barked out the orders. He really thought this plan was solid.

A couple minutes later and he had found Hinata-chan talking to the teme. His clones placed down his angry, screaming, and violent friend. Then she went about punching all of them so they disappeared.

Naruto grimaced at the memories of each of them being hit. He still wasn't used to that part of the jutsu.

"Hinata-chan, Sakura-chan I think it's time you guys spoke on your feelings." There, a nice little push in the right direction, ne? Then he retreated to a safe distance hoping this would not escalate.

Sasuke scowled at the conversation topic before shoving his hands in his pockets and leaving before things got uncomfortable.

"Fine! You want to know my feelings?! Your clan used money to ensure the life of your cousin. That just isn't fair to everyone else! What if the other two had a chance of surviving as well, why does he get to live? Huh?"

"Sakura I understand your anger but I cannot apologize for the actions of my clan. It was wrong, I know, but the world is not fair. That's why niisan had to graduate early, against the wishes of my clan after all. In this case I am happy that my clan ensured his life. I am very happy, Sakura."

"I know! That's your cousin and you love him and everything. But these events, it makes it really hard for me to accept being on a team with you. What if we were in the same situation and you lived just because of your clan?"

Hinata blinked owlishly "but we will not be on a team together?"

"That's beside the point!" Sakura shouted shaking her head and face flushed in irritation.

"Then what is your point Sakura-chan?" Naruto decided that it was now safe to intervene.

"Sakura if it helps, I would never allow my clan to do that. If I were in that situation I would do all I could to ensure your survival. I would rather die with you than abandon you." Hinata-chan's words were genuine he realized as he looked into her eyes. Of course they were, Hinata-chan wouldn't lie.

There were several long moments before Sakura-chan seemed to accept Hinata-chan's words.

Then Sakura-chan's face resembled helplessness as she spoke "I know we won't be on a team together, I knew it from the very beginning. Everything points to it being impossible! So is it wrong to have hope? Would it make me a baka if I had faith that somehow, some way we'd end up together?" her voice broke and Naruto's eyes widened as he witnessed a small tear make its way down her face.

Sakura-chan was crying?

She must have just realized it herself as she wiped away the tear before it was replaced by another. Then she repeated the action until they flowed out too fast for her to wipe. She quickly covered her face to hide, but she couldn't muffle the hiccups that escaped her lips.

Naruto took a step in her direction.

Hinata-chan was faster though as she moved in encircling her hands around the other girl's shoulders in a warm embrace.

"Me too Sakura, me too" she whispered while she rubbed her back, though Naruto could hear the words. The Hyuga had a look of content, happy the girl was letting her true thoughts show.

Naruto, never one to be left out of a moment made his way over to the duo.

"Sakura-chan, I too think even now that somehow we'll end up together!" he admitted.

The girl looked up, her face flushed and tears endlessly streaming down her face. Seeing that he truly and completely believed his words, her body rushed with hope and she let out a small smile.

"Baka"

A/N: Well there it is, thank you for reading everyone. The more feedback I receive the more motivated I feel to write!


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: Hello everyone here is the new chapter which will be in last but not least Sasuke's point of view! I hope that all of you enjoyed last chapter and that you guys can come to understand Sasuke and like him. After reading all of you guys reviews I would be lying if I said I wasn't amused. While this story is focused on friendship you guys insist on trying to figure out pairings. Some of you guys believe I will go canon, others SasuHina and NaruSaku and others are getting a SakuHina vibe! It's very interesting to me how you guys perceive my writing and my lips are tightly sealed! Just know I am not against any possible couples and you won't really know for sure unless I take the story in that direction. I don't mind in the slightest if you guys review about your opinion on pairings but I would really appreciate if you would also acknowledge the events that happened in the chapter and give your thoughts on that as well! So, as usual please read and review and tell me how you feel about Sasuke.

And before I forget I would personally like to give a big thank you to Jammy who gave me a very long review! Not only did it make my day but it really inspired and pushed me to write this chapter! Also, to answer your questions about the Uzumaki clan and why Naruto or anyone for that matter doesn't know his parents, patience. ;)

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Everything was always the same.

It seemed nothing would change.

In a small apartment in the heart of the village a silent war raged on between boy and sheets, the latter in which was winning and effortlessly at that. It was late August and the heat was unbearable so the window was open allowing anyone access to the sight going on inside. Who knows if having the window open was useful or not, in all actuality it might be hotter out here than it was in there.

The anbu in his thick garb resisted the urge to take off his mask and wipe the sweat on the tip of his brow. He smacked his teeth together in annoyance, it was just too damn hot! Looking down he caught the sight of a drunk tripping over a trash can no doubt on his way home from the bars. Unconsciously he found himself shrinking back into the shadows as the drunk spoke unintelligible words and looked up near his position. The man's eyes were dazed and his face flushed from downing so many drinks.

Then the drunk encountered another drunk and the anbu found himself frowning in distaste under his mask as they got into a fist fight. It was beyond his comprehension why the two young boys who were so important to this village were housed in such a bad district. But who was he to question the authority of their honorable hokage.

He turned his attention back to the sight of the last Uchiha, thinking to himself if the boy would just take a couple seconds to still his movements he could easily release himself from the covers wrapped securely around his body.

But per usual the boy would not still his movements. This would always end the same. So his eyes narrowed on the small figure who in his career as an anbu he found himself in this positon too many times for comfort. Five years he's been in anbu. Five long years it seemed, and each year he found himself assigned this mission about ten times. Ironically, it was this mission that he hated being assigned the most. Not the missions that practically guaranteed his death or the ones where he lost squad members but this one.

Standing here just watching the boy fight his demons and knowing he couldn't do something even if he wanted just rubbed him the wrong way.

He was anbu, a protector of Konoha, and he couldn't even help a small child losing his sanity to a nightmare. He fought with his life on the line for the civilians, for the children, the elderly, so the next generation of the leaf would have a future.

He hated this mission because it made him feel so useless.

And he did not become anbu to be useless to his village.

But condoling the child was not within the parameters of the mission. He was to watch and make sure he remained safe from any dangers. He could not expose himself unless something posed as a threat. That was his mission, nothing more and nothing less.

When the boy began to let out quiet screams the anbu decided he had enough. The boy was fine….physically.

So he shook off the urge to assist him, backing up, having seen enough. It was time to move on and check on another boy who was also important to his village.

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He could not calm himself because he had seen the eyes.

The eyes of the one who had killed his clan. The eyes that made him fearful to actually go to sleep, so fearful that he would have to exhaust himself until his own eyes could no longer be kept open and unconsciousness would claim him against his will.

If you asked him the boy could not tell you how many times he woke up in the middle of his training grounds. It seemed forcing his body past its breaking point was the only way to get the desired sleep his body so desperately craved.

Those eyes had once again paid him a visit, as they did without fail every night. So because the boy had seen those eyes he continued to thrash about tussling with the sheets to be released. He felt suffocated and right now he needed to _breathe_.

When Sasuke was finally free he began to wheeze uncontrollably, unconsciously clawing at his throat because he still could not breathe and he thought perhaps he might truly die. As he attempted to get his breathing in control he started to survey his surroundings until it finally dawned on him that it was just a dream.

It was just a dream.

His arms fell limp at his sides and with the adrenaline gone he began to feel the deep cuts his fingernails left behind on his neck. Unbeknownst to him several thin trails of blood were making its way past his chest.

He wasn't dead. He was alive.

He could feel pain, the ache in his now sore throat reminding him that if he could feel pain there was no question he was alive.

So now, finally calm he focused on his shirt that was clinging to him like second skin. He hastily wiped away his tears and sweat, it being the only evidence of the pathetic nightmare that haunted him every night of his life.

The clock read 0412, so he decided now was as good as time as any to start his day. Going back to sleep was not an option, it was never an option. It was practically impossible. So he began to put on some shorts and strap on his sandals.

Opening his drawer he grabbed a clean shirt, and after taking off the damp one he was wearing and throwing it in a dirty clothes bin, he moved to put the fresh on. Taking notice of the now dried blood combined with his sweat he went to the bathroom to take a quick shower.

Fifteen minutes later he was gathering his weapons and leaving.

Once at his training ground he began light stretching. After that he created a shadow clone to begin his taijutsu training. It was a useful jutsu though admittedly tiring. The Hokage taught him the technique, going off about it "only being fair I teach you as well I suppose." He didn't understand what he meant at first but just decided it was the words of a senile old man.

Then when the dobe used the technique to try and challenge him he understood immediately. The Hokage showed a slight amount of favoritism toward himself and the Uzumaki. It was quite obvious why. If the old man was anyone other than the Hokage and he wasn't teaching him useful things then he would be annoyed by this fact.

He shivered lightly as he felt a trail of sweat go down his neck. It was just that hot. His clothes were pretty much drenched from his workout so he needed time to allow them to dry and cool himself down.

The sun was rising from the east so judging by its position the time was give or take around seven. Since he was finished his morning training it was time to make his way over to the academy, classes promptly began at eight after all.

Walking through the halls of the academy he made his way over to the fourth year classroom. Earlier he had caught the hands on a clock that let him know he was thirty minutes early.

Wonderful.

He would need to start bringing a watch to morning training so this never happened again.

Once he got into the classroom he took his usual seat toward the middle at the end of the row. He had his chin placed securely in one of his hands as he stared straight ahead. He felt a wave of tiredness come over him before he fought it off.

He was physically exhausted. Emotionally exhausted. Mentally exhausted.

Despite that he could not sleep.

Sasuke was tired, but the kind of tired he could not sleep away, because sleep would only leave him even more tired.

The only thing he knew to do to distract him from the thoughts and memories that would come to haunt him at night was train. Train until he was so physically exhausted that he could train no more.

So train he did.

Sasuke would not admit it but it was evident that he was scared to close his eyes. He was scared to sleep, to dream because it would always without fail lead him to that fateful night.

The night everything changed.

Every night he relived the worst day of his life.

So every night his hate grew stronger and as a result his resolve grew tenfold. He _would_ avenge his clan. It was the only thing he could think to do that would rid him of the whispers. The whispers of the dead who filled his body with guilt. Sasuke was no fool. Even if he had not come home late that night he knew there was nothing he could have done to prevent what had happened.

But he should have died that night.

He should have died alongside his father, mother, and his clansmen. Then he wouldn't be plagued with so much hate, anger and guilt as he lived.

Most days being murdered in cold blood by his own brother didn't sound so bad. At least his pain would have been instant. At least he would at this very moment be resting for eternity.

Resting peacefully sounded so very good to him.

But according to _him_ , he wasn't even worth killing.

Itachi had truly left him with a fate worse than death.

 **Creak**

Startled, he straightened up glancing to the clock then to the door that was opening. Twenty minutes until class starts… he knew exactly who would walk through that door.

"Mmm my schedule isn't very busy today if you would like me to show you how I make it." The soft, firm voice of the Hyuga.

"Yea that works, I've been really curious since that time Naruto gave me some. I wonder if it has the ingredients I think it does." The confidant, slightly high pitched voice of the Haruno.

His gaze shifted from one to the other as he watched a flicker of surprise come onto their faces. He wasn't usually this early, so they weren't expecting him to beat them here.

"Good morning" the Hyuga offered him a small grin and slight bow before taking a seat next to him. He could feel her observant eyes linger on him before shifting back to the pinkette. She would ask no questions, which is why he tolerated her presence.

He wouldn't explain the bags under his eyes or the scratches on his neck even if she asked.

"Hey Sasuke" Sakura chirped out before scooching her way past him to sit on the other side of the Hyuga. He turned to his right to nod in their direction as greeting. Though the Haruno stopped in her tracks before she actually took her seat to turn and look at him fully.

They were too observant he thought with slight annoyance. So he swiveled his torso to face the knowing eyes of the pinkette head on, noting the Hyuga beside him who tossed them an interested look.

He flinched slightly as Sakura placed a secure hand on his shoulder. He resisted the urge to shake her off. He let his eyes do the talking for him as he narrowed them in a look that commanded her to get off. Though she wasn't looking at him, she leaned in closer, her eyes narrowed in concentration as she looked at his neck.

He sucked in his teeth and averted his gaze as he removed her hand on his shoulder with one of his own. All three of them knew that the scratches on his neck came from fingernails. There was no way he could have gotten them while training.

He had no excuses even if they asked, they all knew this. They were smart enough to come up with plausible explanations on how this could have happened. They were the two smartest girls in the class after all. Their only match from the boys being himself, the Aburame and the Nara.

Distracted with his thoughts he found himself flinching once more as Sakuras fingers were on his chin. She attempted to tip him upwards trying to get a good look at his whole neck though he forced his chin back down.

She furrowed her eyebrows at him, annoyed at his reluctance, and he found them having a silent conversation. Hinata who was watching them with a neutral look gave him a shrug as if to say "what's the harm?"

He could either have the Haruno take a look at it and fix the evidence of last night or potentially be victim to many stares and whispers today. Thinking of his options he decided he'd rather only them two see it any day. Giving in Sasuke tipped his head upwards giving her better access.

It was better to have her heal it than having all the teachers asking about it he supposed.

Moments later his eyes closed as a soothing feeling came over him.

It was Sakura's chakra.

As quickly as it came it was gone and the pinkette was in the seat beside the Hyuga continuing their conversation like nothing had happened.

This was why he accepted their presence.

That and because they were suitable training partners, they would no doubt be stepping stones on his journey to grow stronger.

As the time for class to begin slowly approached the classroom began to fill in with more and more students.

That person was too annoying. That one was incompetent. That one was an idiot. That one was a fan girl. He didn't even know how that person has made it this far in the academy.

All around him he found things wrong with each and every one of his classmates. Because of these things he would not bother himself being around them. They would only slow him down or hinder his growth. They were nothing like Sakura or Hinata who were in his opinion valuable assets to have around. Valuable assets….that's all they were.

At least that's what he told himself in the beginning.

Admittedly, he did not mind them being around him. They were intelligent and often he found it interesting to compare thoughts on different matters.

Testing his skills with the Hyuga was always a good way to improve. Then there was the pinkette's vast knowledge of no doubt hundreds of books always letting him know some new interesting information that could prove useful.

He found the rate in which the Haruno was growing overwhelmingly fast, it was interesting to bear witness to.

One could say Sasuke actually liked having them around. They weren't like other girls. Heck they weren't like anyone their age. They knew what they wanted in life and no doubt would accomplish it. In a way they were just like him.

"Hinata-chan, Sakura-chan!" a loud bolstering voice disturbed his thoughts. Sasuke ignored the boy who sent him a glare as he moved past him to sit at the very end of the row, near the girls.

For the life of him he would not accept that boy.

"Hinata-chan I'm so going to beat you in a spar today BELIVE IT!"

He was too loud.

"Naruto be realistic okay, it's not going to happen." Sakura closed her eyes in slight annoyance at his loud voice, as she gave him a warning to lower it.

Ease dropping he found himself agreeing with the Haruno, the voice of reason in this situation. The Hyuga on the other hand only gave the blonde false hope as she answered his declaration with an encouraging smile.

"Sakura-chan you never know today could be the day! I just have a feeling!" he answered with his voice noticeably lowered a few notches. Sasuke actually turned to him noticing the cheesy grin on his face as he shuffled his blond locks.

He was too optimistic.

How could someone hold so much hope without proof that things could turn in their favor? Sasuke just didn't understand the boy.

"Hehe How about we go to Ichiraku today after training guys? Teme's not invited of course" The blond shot him another glare, which he ignored. He would not give him a reaction he wanted.

"Gomen Naruto, Sakura and I have plans today" the boy seemed to sulk for a few seconds before his face moved into a grin once more.

"That's okay we can go tomorrow!"

He was too cheerful.

The blond was everything he was not. His complete opposite.

When Iruka-sensei walked in Sasuke gave his attention to the piece of paper in his hand.

"Okay class today we will be assigning D-rank missions for you guys to complete before noon. As usual the academy teachers will rotate groups to check on your progress. Once you have completed your mission you will return with your team and eat lunch together with them. The rest of the afternoon will be spent learning formations with that same team."

As fourth years Sasuke was getting used to the D-rank missions they were doing. Along with Hinata and Sakura they concluded the academy was trying to get a head start on forming teams. It was smart, he admitted, too bad he hated every team he was placed on as of yet.

Though the quicker he got through the missions the sooner he could get away from his annoying teammates. These D-rank missions were having him nervous for the team he would be placed on. What if they were incompetent?

As long as they didn't slow him down he didn't care.

Though this new development was interesting. Every other time they performed D ranks they weren't forced to eat and learn formations with that team. What was different about this time?

"The Hokage is expected to stop by and watch as well, so be on your best behavior, understood?"

There was a pause before it broke out into buzzling excitement. Sasuke nodded in confirmation as his classmates let out choruses of "yes" or "hai".

The hokage? He felt his eyes narrow as he realized something was indeed different about today's teams. As Iruka-sensei began reading off names on the list he found himself wondering…. did the academy already choose teams?

"Ino Yamanaka, Shikamaru Nara, and Chouji Akimichi"

What followed was a scream of frustration. Ino went stomping up to the front as she grabbed her teammate's scrolls that contained their mission. She was without a doubt more than disappointed at her team. Then she sat down in a huff crossing her arms.

A few seconds later she had a flirtatious smile on her face giving him a pointed wink.

Sasuke refrained from scoffing in disgust. Ino Yamanaka…. she was loud and a fangirl. A combination of two things he hated. Though her abilities were admittedly decent. Once she left the academy and was away from all these distractions she would improve. She needed…some motivation or perhaps a goal.

Sasuke saw no surprise there. The Ino-Shika-Cho trio was well known in the village. Their history of success made it a no brainer that those three would be coupled together. Seeing as how Ino didn't make a huge scene meant that even she understood that.

"Hinata Hyuga, Kiba Inuzuka, Shino Aburame"

That settled it. That was a clear scouting team, the very same one the Hyuga herself believed she would be placed on. These teams were more or less set in stone.

He felt himself bubbling in anticipation for his own team to be called.

To his right he exchanged a brief look with Sakura before Hinata got up and received her scroll. She took a seat down next to Shino. Kiba complaining about his team took a seat near them as well with his dog.

"Naruto Uzumaki, Sakura Har-"

"YAYYY SAKURA-CHAN!" Naruto shouted earning him a playful punch from Sakura. The pinkette was dragging the boy down in his seat and had a hand muffled on his mouth to shut him up.

Iruka-sensei took that as his que to say the last name.

"Sasuke Uchiha"

It did not go over well.

Sasuke, ignoring the boys shouts of protest calmly stood up and got to the front to receive their scroll. When he got back he took the liberty to open it and begin reading the contents.

They would be pulling weeds and managing the garden of an old lady who hurt her back. The reward money would be five thousand ryo each.

Simple and boring.

"Geez why couldn't it be me Sakura-chan and Hinata-chan instead" Naruto sputtered out shooting him hateful looks.

He felt his patience grow thinner with him.

In theory he could see why they placed the three of them together. Though Sasuke could see it going downhill fast. Naruto would not accept his leadership. He could picture himself in many disagreements with the blonde and knowing Sakura, she would not care enough to try and put a stop to it.

"Okay you all have your missions, be on your way."

Walking through the village on the way to their destination he felt himself grow more and more irritable at the blond wanabe shinobi.

"Iruka-sensei just had to make a mistake, there's no way that I should have ended up on a team with the teme. Sakura-chan definitely but you I will not accept!" Sasuke could practically feel Naruto glaring daggers at his back.

Beside him he felt Sakura sigh. "Naruto get over it already. Let's just hurry up and finish this mission so we can get back for lunch"

When they finally arrived to the house Sakura knocked on the door. After a few minutes an old woman came and greeted them. She smelled of peppermint and Sasuke could smell hints of a stew cooking inside.

"Oba-san what smells so good?" Naruto eyes twinkled and Sasuke imagined drool would come out of the boy's mouth at any moment. This was not what they were here for.

Before the old woman could answer he promptly asked her if the garden was in the back. Here in the front he didn't see any plants or flowers.

"Yes, right around there. Now you all be careful of those thorns." The wrinkles on her face became more evident when she smiled.

Thanking her he went on his way, already feeling done with this mission.

Halfway through pulling the weeds Naruto sighed exasperatedly beside Sakura, who was in between them.

"Why couldn't it be Hinata-chan instead of you?"

Behind him he took notice of the academy teachers who were looking at the three approvingly. Every now and then they wrote something on their clip boards but overall they seemed satisfied in being able to find the perfect team.

Heh, perfect team huh?

He stopped pulling weeds and regarded the blond who frankly he had enough of today.

"Do you have a problem with me?" it was time to address what exactly it was that the boy had against him. Sasuke didn't care enough to rack his brain for the reason the blond had a vendetta against him when he could just ask.

"Yea I do actually" the blond spoke with malice in his voice and a hint of a grudge.

"Care to enlighten me?"

"You're a jerk who won't acknowledge me, besides can't you see that you're getting in the way of me Hinata-chan and Sakura-chan?"

What a child

"Heh, so basically you hate me because I won't acknowledge you when you insist on that obnoxious act you put on?"

"Act?!" the blond saw blood as the boy took a shot at his character. Naruto clenched his fists no doubt wanting to pummel him already.

"If Sakura or the Hyuga had a problem with me they would say so already. It's just you and your misplaced jealousy, your acting like a child."

Beside the two boys Sakura looked on wearily. If they started fighting she would be out of there. You wouldn't catch her getting in the middle of two of the best taijutsu users of their year.

The Uzumaki's face was red in anger….or was it embarrassment. He decided it didn't matter as he cut him off while he was yelling at him.

"Don't tell me that's actually your personality?" Sasuke spit out. To think it wasn't actually an act. Someone could actually be that annoying…impossible.

"Guys let's get back to pulling weeds" Sakura's words fell on deaf ears as the two boys never heard her.

"How dare you! You want to talk about acts, how about the gloomy pity me party you have going on?"

Pity? The last thing he wanted was anyone's pity and certainly not from someone so below him. Sasuke seethed with anger.

"You want to know why I won't acknowledge you? Maybe because you're not on my level! You just take up space, wanting everyone's attention but not actually doing anything to deserve it." He let out a bitter laugh.

"Not on your level? I'm so sick of you and your, "I'm better than everyone" attitude! Let's go right now!" the blond raised his voice and stood up ready to square off with him.

"No need, we both know the end result" Sasuke simmered down and got back to working on pulling weeds, he was done with this dispute. If he continued with the blond that was exactly what he wanted, and there was no point. The sooner he was done with this the sooner he could be done with this team.

Then he felt a chunk of dirt hit the back of his head.

Slowly turning his head to look at the culprit he felt crinkles of dirt slide down his neck inside his shirt. He was welcomed to the sight of a smirking blond idiot.

And he felt his blood boil.

"Hah! That should bring you down to my level, right teme?" Naruto crossed his arms quite pleased with his handiwork.

Sasuke was still angry that he was caught off guard, and by a boy who wears an orange jumpsuit no less. Not even bothering to get rid of the dirt on his head, he stood up to meet the blond.

He took the chunk of dirt in his clenched hand and hurled it at him. He was not disappointed as the dirt made a 'plop' sound as it hit Naruto square in the face, literally knocking the smirk off him.

"You'll never be on my level, dobe" he spat in disgust.

"Wait guys, don't do this" Sakura spoke, finding herself backing up. She knew they wouldn't listen to her, but she had to at least try. Besides, it wouldn't be her getting in trouble here. So with that she got a good distance away as the two boys faced off.

Then chaos ensued

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"Failure?" Iruka-sensei's voice might have squeaked as he looked to the three promising academy students before him then back to their scroll.

"Yes Iruka-sensei, these two destroyed the garden and fought." Sakura spoke with that fake sweet voice of her's as she made it perfectly clear she had nothing to do with it.

Destroyed was an understatement though so at least she downplayed it. Iruka-sensei's face was as white as a ghost as he looked at him then Naruto awaiting an explanation.

Sasuke would not give one.

He was after all a little angry with himself for letting the blond get the better of him. He shouldn't have lost control like that. There was just something about Naruto that just…sets him off.

"Iruka-sensei, I refuse to be on a team with the Teme!" Naruto's clothes were dirty and he had a bruise of a pretty purple shade forming on his left cheek.

He could thank him for his appearance. Sasuke's clothes were also dirty from the dirt and plants that stuck to him but at least the Uzumaki didn't get a shot in. Sasuke liked to think that if the academy instructors didn't step in when they did Naruto would have more than one little bruise.

"Well too bad these teams are handpicked so you guys might as well get used to them. It's out of my control. Now after lunch instead of learning formations you two will go back and fix that old lady's garden."

"B-But-" Naruto was cut off as Iruka sensei told him no butts.

"I can't believe you guys did this" Iruka shook his head in disbelief. He gave Sasuke an especially strange glance as if to say he never expected this behavior from him. The man sighed and made to leave then turned back as if he forgot something.

"Do you guys feel any shame at all? It was an old lady's garden" he stressed the words "old" and "lady" so the boys could understand how bad they messed up.

Naruto hung his head down in shame and Sasuke averted his gaze from Iruka-sensei.

"Since we're probably going to be on a team when we graduate you guys should learn to get along. You're not too different after all." Sakura offered her two cents as she went off to probably go eat lunch.

Naruto of course ran off after her shouting "Sakura-chan wait" as he went.

He didn't care that Iruka-sensei wanted him to eat lunch with them… he refused. Sasuke went off to find a nice quiet place. If he was going to be stuck on a team with an idiot he would have to get used to running off to find some peace and quiet.

Not too different…hah what could he have in common with that loud Uzumaki. Uzumaki…. Should he even call him that since everyone knew he wasn't really apart of the clan?

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Sakura felt herself zooming through the hallways as she tried to get away from the blond on her heels, turning a few corners and then a few more she felt herself lose him. Don't get her wrong, she liked Naruto but even she needs her break every now and then.

Turning her way into another corner she was met with a strong force that had her propelling backwards.

"Omph" She let out as she rubbed her large forehead that ached from the collision. The hands that had stopped her from falling released her and she opened her eyes upon hearing a throaty chuckle.

Looking up and seeing the Hokage she took three steps back. Her eyes grew wide and her face heated in surprise. "Lord Hokage-sama!" she sputtered out bowing low. This was her first time being in such close proximity to him!

"Are you alright child?" he tilted his head peering at her closely.

All she could do was nod dumbly as she took the man in. Her eyes went from his long extravagant robes, to the fancy hat on his head before finally settling on his face and more specifically his smile. He was so…nice!

"Sakura was it?" it was phrased as a question but his tone let her know he already knew the answer. But that just confused her more… the Hokage knew her? A lowly academy student and civilian at that? Sakura shook her head to rid the tears forming in the corner of her eyes as she once again nodded dumbly.

"If my old mind remembers correctly you were paired with young Naruto and Sasuke today, how was it, I hoped they didn't give you too much trouble. You see they can be a hassle but they're both good boys." Sakura noticed the fondness in his tone immediately.

"W-We failed our mission Hokage-sama" Sakura spoke nervously, not wishing to see the disappointment on his face.

The old man tilted his head once more, not in disappointment but curiosity, pressing her for more details.

"Naruto and Sasuke got in a fight and destroyed the old lady's garden we were working on!" Sakura rushed out the explanation in a hurry stuttering as she went. Who in their right mind could talk clearly in the presence of their honorable leader anyway? At seeing the old man's slight surprise for the first time she felt regret at not doing more to try and stop the two boys.

"I see, that is most unfortunate. You all will learn from this I assume?"

"Hai-Hokage-sama" Sakura chirped out in determination. It was the answer he wanted after all.

"Good. It's my hope that they get along better in the future, I'm sure the three of you will get along swimmingly and become a wonderful team" the Hokage offered her another small smile and gave her an affectionate head pat before leaving.

Sakura blushed as her stomach began doing back flips from the touch. The longer she was in the Hokage's presence the more she became comfortable speaking to him.

When Sakura got comfortable she spoke her mind freely.

"But Naruto and Sasuke don't like each other very much!" she found herself shouting at his retreating back in protest. When the Hokage offered her a questioning look at her outburst she found herself squeaking.

The Hokage made his way back over and for reasons unknown decided to humor her.

"I believe that with all the time you guys will be sharing in the future you will all grow accustomed to each other. I have watched this happen many times before." These were the words of a wise old man, the Hokage no less and yet Sakura could not accept them. Maybe he was right, but she wanted to voice her thoughts.

"Naruto and Sasuke don't respect each other, so because of that I-I can't see us becoming a real team."

Once again the Hokage offered a kind smile to rid her of her worries. Sakura was very aware that he was not taking her serious.

"It is only a matter of time before the two of them come to respect each other. Besides, they have you to keep them in line, ne?" The Hokage wanted her to smile and say yes, but looking into his soft brown eyes Sakura could not bring herself to lie.

So she shook her head in disagreements, the worry beginning to eat her alive. She was really going to be on a team with Sasuke and Naruto? Something just didn't feel right. Even if the two of them miraculously started to get along… it just didn't feel right!

"They wouldn't listen to me, it's Hinata who keeps everyone from fighting. She's like our glue since she brought us all together you know? Me, I just let everyone fight it out and heal their wounds, it's all I can do for them." She spoke softly. She realized she was rambling but she just had to tell someone everything that was plaguing her heart.

"Trust me child you have nothing to worry about. So tell me how do you feel about being on a team with them two?"

She thought about the question carefully before composing her answer. Naruto suffocated her with attention because he refused to divide it between herself and Sasuke. Sasuke was quieter than usual in Naruto's presence. She couldn't talk to him much without Naruto making a fuss. Overall Sakura felt like she was stuck in the middle. It was tiring being with the two today without Hinata. She realized she would have to be the bridge for her team and she didn't want that. It would be too much.

"I like Naruto and I like Sasuke but something just feels missing, lonely even" she seemed to think over it for a few minutes before the answer became obvious. She smiled satisfied with the answer she was about to give.

"Hinata completes us."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The Hokage made his way into his office and once settled into his chair let his thoughts wander. He was still thinking about the little civilian girl who will be placed on a team with Sasuke and Naruto.

She had rendered him speechless with her declaration that her team would be incomplete without the Hyuga girl. Her eyes were fierce and she resembled another Kunoichi he knew, already at her young age.

Yes the will of fire burns greatly in that one.

"She will make a splendid kunoichi" he felt himself speaking into existence.

Unfortunately she would not get her wish at being on a team with her other friend. She couldn't see it now but this team was perfect. He was very confident that she would get over it. He could see that she was serious about her ninja abilities so once she graduated that would be her primary focus.

All of the potential teams to be crafted were carefully thought out and planned.

KNOCK KNOCK

The Hokage let out a muffled cough before granting entrance to his office. Before him stood Iruka, chunin and sensei at the academy.

"Hokage-sama"

The man kneeled and bowed his head, awaiting permission to move.

He was here to drop off the papers on the progress on the teams. After losing almost all of their genin from the previous year he found himself paying a lot of attention to the academy lately. He wanted to play a keen role in deciding teams, something he usually trusted to the council and academy instructors for the most part.

It was crucial they didn't make any mistakes this time around.

After granting the man permission to speak he watched Iruka slowly make his way over to his desk and set down the papers. The Hokage didn't look to the papers but the man's face that looked strangely nervous.

"Go ahead" he wanted the young man to speak his mind. He took notice of the man clutching his hands together behind his back hoping to gather courage to speak his mind to his Hokage.

"Naruto, Sakura, and Sasuke failed their mission." As soon as those words were out he felt himself sigh in relief as he dismissed the man with a wave of his hand. He already knew that information.

"Hokage-sama…if I may be so bold?" He nodded for the man to continue. Iruka took a deep breath.

"I have been these children sensei for almost four years and I believe many of these teams may not be the best, sir"

The Hokage raised his brow at this new information to him. He let his eyes glance over the reports quickly before looking back to him.

"When you think about their abilities Naruto, Sakura, and Sasuke would make an excellent strike team."

There was a but coming, he knew it.

"I know that Naruto and Sasuke have to be placed on a team together at your own personal request. Though Sasuke and Naruto do not get along at all. Sasuke is very good at controlling his temper and I'm afraid Naruto is the only one who can rile him up. I feel if they were placed together it would happen too often. Bickering with each other instead of coming together will no doubt hinder their growth, and push Sasuke and in turn Naruto over the edge mentally."

"Boys will be boys…in time I have faith they will come to accept one another Iruka. Besides Sakura Haruno will do well to keep them in line, it has happened many times before."

"Hokage-sama, doesn't leaving that job to one lone Kunoichi seem like too much of a burden? It almost feels like it's her job to play babysitter instead of bettering herself. I know for a fact that Sakura Haruno will refuse to fill such a role."

The Hokage felt the need to defend such a team come up. This very team greatly resembles his own team that he trained. A team that went on to be recognized as legendary sanin. Then there was another team this one resembles, the very one the fourth hokage himself trained.

Yes, two boys who didn't get along well and rivalry fueled them to grow stronger alongside a sharp kunoichi, it was a _classic_.

Iruka tsked as he continued his assessments "Eventually I feel it will become too much for everyone. This team will devour themselves, eating each other alive." Iruka met the Hokage's stern glare with sad eyes.

The hokage zoned out the chunin speaking to him as he went over other teams he disagreed with. Was he making a mistake here with this team? He thought to his own team.

One was a missing nin and traitor to his village, sworn enemy of the leaf. Another fled her duties and been gone from the village for years, no doubt somewhere busy drowning her blues away with sake. Then there was the last, he would never say it aloud but the Hokage knew that his scouting missions weren't just for the good of the village…..he needed to be away for his own sanity.

Did he break that team….or were they destined to be broken from the beginning?

Then there was the fourth's team. Now thinking it over he didn't want to begin to go over their demise. As talented as he was all that remained was a shattered jounin.

Naruto and Sasuke had to be together, If the Kyubi were to ever be released it would have to be Sasuke to…. So maybe he should switch Kunoichi?

No, the girl was not the problem here. Iruka made it sound like no matter who he put the same result would ensue. But Sasuke and Naruto had to be placed together…

The Hokage racked his brain with a solution to this newly formed problem.

"There is the genin lee who failed his graduation exam and is expecting to graduate this year…. No matter who we put him with we just can't find the right team for him. Most of his classmates don't take him very serious or respect him, and he takes that to heart. I imagine finding the right jounin instructor for him will also be difficult."

Another deep breath filled the room letting him know Iruka wasn't finished.

"I know that Ino-Shika-Cho is a traditional team but I can't help but have my doubts with this generation. Ino is very bossy but it is not her who should lead. She does not respect either of her teammates and is very unwilling to work with them, she needs teammates that will call her out on her crap. The rightful leader is Shikamaru but he is unwilling to take up this position. He's unmotivated… I feel like he needs teammates that will challenge him and make him want to improve. Chouji is too soft, Shikamaru coddles him and Ino is always dampening his self-confidence. He looks to Shikamaru too much and does not have his own voice….he needs to find his own way."

There were too many holes…. with each team there were too many holes he felt. The Hokage squinted at the papers… how could he have missed so much?

"For Hinata, Shino, and Kiba, they finished their mission in a timely manner and it was successful. This team was having a war on leadership the whole time. Each of these members believe it is them who should lead. Perhaps it is because there are two heirs and a dominant Inuzuka or they simply do not trust one another? Regardless they don't argue outright, except for Kiba. I'm afraid they will never accept each other, Hinata and Shino are reluctant to entertain the Inuzuka much to his annoyance. Around Hinata, Shino seems very uncomfortable? I've never seen his Kikaichu so…..antsy. Hinata is quieter than usual around the two refusing to speak unless she has to, I'm afraid it is not due to her slight shyness. Shino and Kiba get along fine for the most part but I can't foresee this team bonding well In the future."

There was a very long pause as the Hokage attempted to sort his jumbled thoughts.

Was he sending all these children to their graves?

"Then what teams would you recommend Iruka?" he began shuffling through the papers hoping there was something small missing. That all these teams weren't a mistake and that the answer would jump out at him.

"I'm afraid I do not know, sir"

The Hokage sighed, resisting the urge to reach for his pipe. What was he missing?

He wanted to know he entertained and explored all possible options before he made these teams. If they died he needed to know he did everything he possibly could for them. His peace of mind demanded it.

'Hinata completes us' the words tickled the back of his mind.

"Iruka, tell me everything you know about Hinata Hyuga"

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Sasuke was walking to his usual training ground. He had skipped lunch today in favor of going to fix the old lady's garden. He didn't want to be there alone with the Uzumaki, he just couldn't stand him. He had apologized profusely for his behavior as well as Naruto's. She seemed to forgive him since she offered him stew, which he declined.

After that Iruka had said they weren't doing formations today so that only meant to him that he was free to go home…right?

So he went to his training ground because it was hot today which meant no wind. This was the perfect day to work on that jutsu. The jutsu the Hyuga had given him that day he lost to her and her summon.

He had to admit the Hyuga was certainly interesting to him, no doubt his biggest competition for rookie of the year. Ever since that bracket competition that day in the academy he had yet to beat the girl in a spar.

It was exhilarating fighting her!  
Always something new, he never knew what to expect from her. He was stronger and faster than the girl and yet she always somehow came up on top! Fighting someone and not knowing if you would actually win was fun to Sasuke. He liked a challenge and the Hyuga provided it.

It was too bad the girl wouldn't let him fight that wolf summon with her again. Now that was a fight, he had literally played all of his cards to only be defeated so easily.

He needed to grow stronger, and quickly. There was always room for improvement.

The Hyuga was a constant reminder of that.

Haruno was a constant reminder that he couldn't let up for even a second. The girl was improving at vast speeds. If she could do it then so could he.

When he was in the middle of his taijutsu training they arrived. It still felt pretty early for the academy to be let out at this time.

"Iruka-sensei never came back so we were let out early for the day" Sakura explained.

Heh, so that was it. He was bored training with his clone, he wanted a real partner. The Hyuga had a neutral expression on her face, hopefully she would be in the mood to spar.

"Hyuga, spar with me" he commanded. It wasn't that he felt that he had a right to spar with the girl. It was just the only way he knew to ask… and she understood that. If she didn't want to spar she would say so, she knew very well how to stand up for herself. But that hasn't happened, the Hyuga would probably never deny him a spar. That's just how she was… who could turn down a challenge?

He watched as the blond sulked beside the two girls, most likely angry that he was going to spar and he was not. Curious enough the Haruno didn't move to go sit under her tree. By this point she would be reading already.

"Hyuga let's go" he spoke again as she didn't confirm her participation in the spar. With raised eyebrows he watched as she shared a look with Sakura before speaking to him.

"Sasuke, today let's do two on two" Two on two? He signaled for her to continue. So him and Sakura versus her and the dobe? That seemed fair he supposed. This way he would have two different opponents to take his day's frustration out on. He felt a smirk beginning to form.

"Sakura and I versus you and Naruto. If we win you and Naruto will continue to train together after we leave. What would you like if you win?" Just like that his smirk was gone. She was already talking rewards when he hasn't even agreed to this bet. Fight with the dobe? He would only get in my way.

He wasn't stupid, Sakura and Hinata had some of the best teamwork in the academy in their two on two spars. They didn't have a difficult time unless they fought Kiba and his mutt or himself and whoever he was paired with for the day.

The dobe was sulking but wasn't outright protesting about this. That means that this was planned….they prepped him. Judging by how everyone was acting he would say Sakura told the Hyuga all about the events of today, and this was her idea.

They were trying to force him and the dobe to get along…..and he wouldn't play by these rules.

"When we win I want you guys to stop insisting for us to get along" his demands were clear, and seeing how the dobe didn't make declarations of ramen for his own reward…he wanted the same thing.

The spar was standard taijutsu, but weaponry was allowed. He smirked because that was just an advantage for him.

The two girls got in their respective stances. He got in his own and took the time to pull out his wire.

"Don't get in my way" he spoke harshly to the blond who huffed and looked away. He was being strangely quiet. Something about this felt very off.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

He could hear chirping. Opening his eyes and being faced with the sight of the clear open blue skies his eyes trailed the forms of two birds dancing together in the sky. He didn't faint but he was admittedly winded from the fight.

They were in sync, kind of like how Sakura and Hinata were. He clenched his fist and pounded the ground, sitting up. He breathed through his nose, slightly out of breath. If Naruto wasn't his partner he wouldn't have lost. He wouldn't have lost! They probably looked like a joke, Sakura and the Hyuga were literally toying with the two of them!

The dobe was more of a hindrance than any help…..Damnit!

Toward the end they had practically fought themselves and won the fight for the two girls.

He looked to the blond a ways away also laying on his back out of breath. Just looking at the boy in his orange jumpsuit and blond hair just... Honestly the boy could just be breathing, which he was and Sasuke could only feel anger toward him.

"Were leaving now guys, get along!" Sakura spoke in a teasing manner. Beside her the Hyuga did a small bow before she came up and he noticed she was muffling her giggles. The two girls walked off together conversing as they went.

Great they were laughing at them.

He just sat there in his nice sunny spot in the grass as he tried to think of a way out of this. Unfortunately he was a person of his word…and he had lost the bet. His hope was that Naruto would just walk off….and thinking of his personality he decided it was pretty likely.

Eventually the blond got up and with a sneer made his way over to him.

"Teme, If you would have just listened to me we could-" Naruto tried to speak.

Listen to him, why would he ever listen to him?

"No, this is your fault, you should have just stayed out of my way" Yes if the blond had just stayed out his way they would have had a reasonable chance at winning.

The two boys squared off and with a snarl Naruto asked him what they were going to do. So he wouldn't leave and he would hold his end of the bargain? Fine with him, so with his own snarl he answered the blond,

"Make some shadow clones."

He could use some target practice.

All around him Naruto's shadow clones came into existence as he prepared himself.

Snake...Ram...Monkey…Boar...Horse…Tiger, he whispered in his head as his fingers went through the familiar hand signs his father had taught him.

An hour later he was out of breath from using so much chakra on the tiring jutsu, across from somewhere was Naruto, who was probably also out of breath from making so many clones. Never the less the training ground was filled to the brim with his shadow clones.

Sasuke clenched his teeth in frustration. He was almost out of chakra and the dobe just had so much of it!

As a few shadow clones approached him he reached into his weapons pouch pulling out a few kunai. With a flick of his wrist five dobes poofed out of existence.

He had just done the world a huge favor.

Then they all charged him and he found himself flipping, dodging and countering as he slowly became overwhelmed with the growing numbers.

When he became surrounded with nowhere to go he initiated the jutsu that would most likely deplete all of his chakra. He had no other choice though, he would not lose to him!

A huge fire erupted out of his mouth, the flames hundreds degrees hotter than it was outside. Dozens of Naruto's fell to ground wriggling in agony as they were set aflame until their bodies disappeared. Sasuke twirled his head to get more of them, he needed to get as many as he could before he could no longer hold this technique.

All the while Sasuke was looking for the real Naruto.

When he saw a blond in the crowd take a cautious step back and then another he realized with urgency that had to be him. So he began to run in that direction all while he kept up his fire ball jutsu, burning any Naruto that dared get too close to a crisp.

When he got close enough he ended his jutsu. He used a clones head as leverage to leap into the air and launch himself at the real Naruto. When he came upon him he dodged as expected. The surrounding phonies around him tried to use this opportunity to get to him but he easily avoided them with his reflexes.

Upon coming onto Naruto he engaged him in a one on one taijutsu fight, popping any clones who got too close and attempted to disrupt them.

He would win this.

When he took the moment to pop another annoying clone he felt himself gasping for air as he realized the dobe had kicked him. He jumped back cradling his stomach and taking a deep breath.

Naruto had gotten him good, and he wasn't even smirking in triumph or anything. Sasuke was really starting to understand the toll this was taking on himself now. He was tired and completely out of chakra… he needed to end this now.

Tiredly he straightened himself running on a straight path to the blond. He would always know the real one because of that stupid look on his face!

When he got there he gave the blond a crushing punch to his jaw. In the moments that Sasuke took to smirk in monstrous glee, Naruto took the time to pay Sasuke back with his own punch to the jaw.

The two boys were breathing deeply as they tenderly massaged their jaws. In sync they swirled the saliva and blood mixture before spitting it out their wet caverns. Reaching up they wiped the corner of their mouths.

Next the two boys were on the ground exchanging blows before eventually he was pulled off and bam boarded by clones.

He had almost forgotten about them he thought as he swiped at them blindly with a kunai. He wasn't even sure if he had gotten any, he was tired… so tired.

Looking to Naruto he knew that one more attack would do it.

Once more the two boys confronted each other and putting an end to their fight each boy got a final blow on the other's face.

All around them Naruto's clones disappeared as their master was going to lose unconsciousness. It would happen any second, Sasuke knew it.

Sasuke's face couldn't even morph into his signature smirk, because that's how tired and in pain he was.

"I wi-"

He never got a chance to finish as his eyes rolled into the back of his head and he fell to the ground with a thump, unknowingly at the same time as the Uzumaki.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Sasuke shot up in a split second, his eyes were wide taking in the darkness around him. He passed out at his training grounds again. He selfishly gulped in as much air as he could as he realized his body was in a cold sweat.

He had the nightmare again.

He closed his eyes and took a minute to calm down as his palms touched the cool grass. Did he pass out before Naruto…. Did he win? He thought he did at least.

Taking in his surroundings once more his eyes widened in alarm at the blond who was about five feet away from him. He was awake and sitting up on his bottom his legs crossed in a pretzel. He had his hands in his laps and his sights were traced in on him.

He was looking at him with worry and concern.

Why was he here? What had he seen? Sasuke felt a bit of fear come across him as he realized what the blond probably saw.

"You looked like you were in pain" the blond finally spoke up, speaking the words softly.

He had seen him in his most pitiable state.

Sasuke swore to kami if the nosey little boy opened his big mouth and told anyone what he saw he'd end him! He quickly opened his mouth to voice these thoughts aloud.

"Don't tell anyone what you-"

"I won't tell anyone…." The blond interrupted. His voice sounded hurt that Sasuke even had to ask to keep something like that secret. The blond took a small moment to think some things over.

"Our demons are our own….our problems to deal with" the boy's words were strangely ominous as he spoke in code. Sasuke realized he had never witnessed the blond speak like this.

Yours visit you in your sleep, but they always seem to be there in the back of your mind and mine haunt me every waking moment of my life. Those were the words left unspoken by the blond Sasuke realized.

He recalled Sakura speaking about how they weren't so different.

"You're a jinchuriki… you hold the nine tails inside of you…how can you be so happy?" Truth be told Sasuke might be jealous of the dobe. After everything the boy has gone through in his short life he was just so…happy, and it irritated him.

For a second the two boys just listened to the sound of grass hissing with the gentle breeze. Every now and then they could hear crickets whistling, playing their song.

It was a peaceful night.

"It isn't an act" The Uzumaki finally responded. His face was strangely serious as he wanted to get that across.

An act… those were the words he had used earlier with the blond, he had seemed really upset by them.

Sasuke waited patiently, that wasn't a suitable explanation for him. He needed to know how the boy was always so damn cheerful.

"I mean, it used to be, but once I became friends with Sakura-chan and Hinata-chan everything just seems so much easier. I feel lighter and I don't have to _try_ to feel good, it just happens. Being with them two just makes me..." the boy had his mouth open as he thought over his next words.

"I just feel like if I stick with them everything will be okay" he finally concluded.

Everything about this whole situation just seemed off to him. Naruto and he were having a civilized conversation.

He was having a conversation with Naruto without either of them wanting to pummel each other. He didn't even think he was annoying.

This was so bizarre.

"They will make good Kunoichi" he agreed quietly.

Beside him he heard ruffled movements and when he looked the boy was now crawling over to him. Sasuke felt himself leaning back as the boy got in close and was now looking to him with excitement on his face. It would seem that he would never understand what personal space was.

"Right! Hinata-chan and Sakura-chan are just awesome!" The boy had a bright smile that was easily noticeable in the dark. Naruto nodded his head several times, then took a moment to study his face.

"Teme….your face looks really messed up" he ended with a little laugh.

Sasuke winced in pain as he moved his fingers to brush his face. He could only imagine how he looked but if it was anything like Naruto…

"Heh, your one to talk….dobe" Naruto too winced as he touched his face feeling all the bruises and cuts that made an appearance while they were out cold.

"Your right! We look like crap!" Naruto went about giggling softly to himself.

He watched as Naruto laid down onto his back. Thinking it over for a few minutes he did the same.

"That's okay though, cause Sakura-chan will fix us right up!" he spoke and began humming away no doubt thinking about his precious friends.

For the rest of the night the two boys watched the stars in much appreciated silence. Never did either of them bring up who won their spar.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

No one would speak on it but it would become apparent that there was a different atmosphere around the group.

When Sakura and Hinata arrived at the training grounds Saturday morning nothing was different and yet everything was. Naruto still called Sasuke teme and Sasuke in turn still called Naruto dobe.

But the air was lighter?

Sakura and Hinata would share a long look, did they dare to think that somehow their desperate plan worked?

Sakura would bandage and fix up the two boys faces as she wondered what could have possibly happened last night…

Neither of the girls would ask….whatever happened was their business.

"Dobe, make some clones" Sasuke found himself commanding.

"HUH? Why should I make clones for you teme?" Naruto squinted his eyes with his hands on his hips.

Sasuke rolled his eyes at the boy's dramatics "Just do it"

Yes, everything was the same and yet it was completely different.

So Naruto responded to his command by also rolling his eyes and filling the training ground with hundreds of clones.

Sasuke took his index finger out his mouth and tested it in the air. It wasn't too much wind today and he could clearly get a feel of the direction. Knowing where the wind would blow was one of the crucial points to mastering this jutsu.

He was going to get this down today… he could feel it.

Behind him Sakura and Hinata backed up, most likely the Hyuga had already filled her in on what kind of jutsu this was and how dangerous it could be. Even as the wielder Sasuke had to be careful, he could accidently get third degree burns…like he did last time.

It was kind of weird how this jutsu wasn't as dangerous as his fireball jutsu but he was more cautious with it. Perhaps it was because he has yet to garner real progress with it. The wind made it difficult to control.

"Naruto get out of the way" The blond was no doubt somewhere hidden in his sea of clones. He probably thought this was a spar. Sasuke didn't feel like trying to pin point him.

Naruto, who eventually revealed himself by coming forward looked like he wanted to protest but seeing how serious he was he leaped out the way, landing safely behind the others.

Snake…Rat…Snake…Tiger, he threaded his fingers through the seals carefully and slowly as it didn't come so easy to him as his family's jutsu.

Taking a deep breath and concentrating he felt his chakra swirling together in his belly as he gathered the appropriate amount. He would only be able to do this once today. So he wanted to get it right no matter what.

Slowly a long trail of gun powder began to escape his mouth coming together in a deep vast cloud upon all of the shadow clones that filled the training ground. So far he had done well with the wind… it was not blowing it away.

He took a moment to look at all the confused clones who asked each other what was going on. Some were either trying to escape the dark gray cloud of smoke that reeked danger and others just obliviously stood there conversing, every now and then they stopped talking to shake the dust collecting in their hair and on their clothes. They were loud, so he closed his eyes as he went back to concentrating.

His eyes widened in momentary alarm as he felt a buildup deep in his throat, he immediately ended the jutsu there. Then Sasuke began a coughing fit at the gun powder that was previously in his mouth. It reminded him of when he had first began practicing the fire ball jutsu.

Sasuke took a moment to admire the thick rich cloud of gun powder before picking a flint and tossing it into the smoke screen.

Fire erupted

"Fire release… Ash pile burning" he whispered in awe.

Sasuke watched the explosion with childish glee, it was amazing, it was incredible! The explosion was deafening and made his ears pop. He felt himself begin to sweat at the increase of temperature and all he could see in his eyes was the brilliant color of orange flames flourishing.

It was almost perfect.

He knew he could do better, but for now he would allow himself to celebrate his small victory.

He really wondered how the Hyuga was able to get her hands on such a cool jutsu.

"Wow Sasuke that was good!" Sakura complimented with a whistle, coming closer after a few minutes once the flames settled down. Beside her Naruto held his head as he probably was momentarily overwhelmed by all the thoughts entering his mind from his former clones. When the dobe looked up, finally fine he changed his view to the Hyuga.

"I knew this jutsu would suit you" was all she spoke with that small smile of hers. She moved to go sit under the tree.

"I want to learn a jutsu too!" The blond spoke up his wishes. When everyone ignored him and made to sit under the shade of the tree he pouted.

"Naruto, do you know your element?" Hinata asked softly. Beside her Sakura had already began her meditating.

"Nope! Does it really make that big of a difference?"

"Hai, your element will come to you more naturally" She answered. Sasuke took a seat next to them, he was admittedly a bit tired.

"Huh, So Teme is obviously fire…what about you Hinata-chan?"

"I am water and my secondary element is lighting." She answered as she crossed her legs, and leaned backwards to support her back on the bark of the large tree they were all under.

"Cool, what jutsu do you know?" The blond's eyes were dazzling with excitement at this newfound news. Sasuke found himself looking over interested in this answer as well. He had never seen the Hyuga actually attempt any elemental jutsu. Last he knew she was in the beginning phases of just controlling the water.

The Hyuga's face looked uncomfortable for moment as she bit her lip.

"I don't know any. My clan forbids me from learning any."

At that news he watched as Sakura stopped her meditating and opened her eyes to listen. Sasuke sat back, knowing Naruto would ask all the questions they wanted to voice.

"Whaaaat why? You would be so kick ass though!" Naruto whined disappointed at the news that she would never learn anything.

"My clan prides themselves on our Byakugan and gentle fist combination. We do not need anything else to become unrivaled, capable ninja"

The way in which she spoke told Sasuke, she herself did not agree with her clan. It was very apparent to him that she wanted to learn.

"So your clan only lets you use your family techniques, they don't think it's good to have a variety?" This was the first Sasuke had ever heard of the Hyuga clan being like that. It was foolish if you asked him. Or it was cocky, and cocky certainly was a word that summed up the Hyuga clan.

"My clan believes it to be enough" she spoke calmly directing her answer to Sasuke.

Yes, they were a prideful, cocky clan indeed.

So with those words Sakura went back to mediating.

"Sakura-chan why are you so obsessed with mediating? It looks so boring?"

"Mediating is a good way to expand her chakra coils, Naruto. It's also a good way to rest your body. It's the closest thing to sleep your body can get."

Those words were directed at him and he knew it. Thinking it over he decided there was nothing he had to lose.

He was so tired after all.

So, Sasuke mediated.

"Naruto it would be good for you to work on your chakra control" He peaked one eye open to see Hinata pick up a leaf and place it on the blond's forehead. After a little persuading she was able to get the blond to focus on the leaf.

He would do anything to fix his horrible chakra control.

Sakura mediated…Hinata in turn also began mediating… and Naruto had his tongue open in concentration on the green leaf. Sasuke closed his eyes to go back to his own meditating.

Sasuke found it strangely peaceful.

Unbeknownst to the soon to be genin they were being watched.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Iruka knocked upon the Hokage's office door softly. Lately he's been coming here a lot. It was now the end of September and they soon would be preparing for another academy graduation. Preparations for a graduation took a lot of work.

When he heard his lord's voice granting him entrance he opened the door, taking care to close it quietly behind him. He took his usual knelt position and addressed his lord before he was given permission to move.

"Iruka I have been thinking, take a look at these nine children" The chunin stood up making his way over to the desk. On the desk were nine pictures attached to what could only be detailed reports and profiles on the individuals. He looked upon the nine pictures recognizing the students instantly.

This year was important to the village. Especially after the hellish year for genin they just had. This summer they would be graduating the largest pool of promising genin the village has seen in years. Sure every now and then there was one or two very promising students within a graduating class. An example being Neji Hyuga who just graduated about a year ago.

This year was different because there were so many. Most of them were heiresses or heirs, or had high social standings within their clans. That was probably the main reason they were so talented. They couldn't really be failed without causing an uproar. Not that Iruka thought they would be failed…they were just that good.

So all eyes in the village were on the academy and how these children would turn out.

He looked up to his Hokage, who's attention was not on him but still looking at each of the pictures. As he waited to be filled in he took notice of the crinkles on his face from old age. Being Hokage was a demanding position.

"Tell me Iruka, is there much the academy is teaching them nowadays?" Even as the Hokage voiced this question his attention was not on him.

Iruka felt his face twist as he thought out his answer.

"Admittedly there isn't much the academy can do for these children anymore. We have taught them all we can…some instructors have taken it upon themselves to teach things not within the curriculum. Our focus now is on teamwork."

Iruka thought about Funeno-sensei who had went ahead and tested the Hyuga and Uchiha on their elements last year. Afterwards he was lightly reprimanded by the higher ups and instructed not to do so again. Though he understood the man's frustrations. The children had nothing more they could be taught. So what should he have done with them standing there looking to him for guidance?

"Iruka, I'm going to propose these genin graduate early. I want them to test at the end of winter with last semester's failures.

His head snapped up at those words.

"Hokage-sama….is that a good idea?" He realized it was bold of him to question his lord but his original thoughts were to speak about unwise he thought that was. Nine children test early to become genin? That was unheard of, even if it was just one semester they would be missing.

"Hai, I think so. All I would need is your recommendation as their sensei and their parents' permission. Though if it comes down to it I have the final say." The way his hand was settled firmly on his chin made it seem like he hoped it didn't come to that.

"You will go through with this even if their parents decline?" Iruka thought about the parents who no doubt probably would deny the request after the previous year they had with genin.

"Yes, I have made up my mind. You said so yourself that you are only working on teamwork, who better to work on that with than their actual teams?"

Iruka had no retort to that, so he stayed quiet.

"A lot of changes will be made" The Hokage finished as he began organizing all the pictures and report in a neat pile, thus ending the conversation.

Iruka felt himself shrinking back at the declaration.

What was his Hokage planning?

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Sasuke trudged at a slow pace through the village on his way home. This was strange because he wasn't so tired. Usually he would have to run on his way home if he wanted to make it to his bed before he passed out. Meditating has really helped him. But it's also screwed with him in some ways… his mind was getting strangely clear and as a result he was remembering things he'd honestly rather not.

After unlocking his apartment door he went to his bathroom to take a shower. Upon exiting and putting on clothes he wondered what he should do.

He was never faced with these kind of options as the obvious answer was always sleep. But he wasn't that sleepy yet, perhaps he should meditate some more? It was strangely addicting and even without the rewards of expanding your chakra coils he could see why the pinkette was obsessed with it.

Right when he decided what to do he heard a knock at his front door. None of his neighbors ever came to speak to him after he asked them not to. Sakura, Hinata, and Naruto didn't know where he lived. He knew exactly who it was.

So Sasuke promptly opened the door to see none other than his Lord Hokage. He took a step back to allow him entrance and bowed low. Despite the notions of him being such an impolite child (some in which were true) he would never disrespect his lord.

He looked to the lord curiously wondering what brought him here. In turn he only received a chuckle as the Hokage took a seat. He moved to sit next to the chair across from him.

"Sasuke, you're not going to offer your guest some tea?" The Hokage's face morphed into fake hurt as he pretended to be offended.

By this point he knew the old man well. He would rather take out his pipe than drink some tea, but even he hesitated as wondered if he was serious.

"I'm only teasing you, Sasuke, Unfortunately I have to make this visit short."

"What brings you Hokage-sama?" he finally asked aloud. The Hokage pulled out his pipe on instinct and then probably thinking the better of it placed it back within his robes. He tried to refrain from smoking in the presence of a child.

"Sasuke, are you enjoying your time at the academy?"

Sasuke's brows furrowed at the nature of the question. He didn't know how to answer that. Understanding he was dealing with such an unsocial child, the Hokage reworded himself.

"Are you learning new things everyday? Would you say your time spent at the academy is productive?"

"After my second year I have not been learning much. I have found other ways to improve." He answered truthfully, the words flowing out easily. Yes, if it wasn't for his training with them three everyday he would no doubt be complaining about that fact to the third.

In that moment the Hokage thought about the boys three training partners that he faithfully hung out with every day. The third has been watching them in his free time that he's been able to find in his busy schedule. They were an interesting bunch he'd say. The fact that they had come together without the push of outside forces was even more interesting to his old mind.

"What would you say to graduating this upcoming semester?" The Hokage asked gently.

Sasuke looked up surprised at that, he had the makings of a smile beginning to form.

"You see I have just come from Naruto's place to ask him the same question. All I would need is for you tell me that's what you would want. Naruto himself wouldn't agree unless your two friends could join him you see" The Hokage ended in a giggle thinking of Uzumaki's antics.

Sasuke's moment of excitement came to a halting end. The dobe had a point…would Sakura and Hinata graduate early too? He knew he would choose to graduate early regardless but moving ahead without them didn't sit well in his stomach.

As if he was in his mind taking a peak at his thoughts the Hokage spoke.

"You and Naruto will not be the only promising academy student taking this test"

That settled it, Sakura and the Hyuga would no doubt be asked.

He looked up to the Hokage with a determined expression.

"I would like that"

The Hokage smiled pleased with his answer.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

That night Sasuke would awake suddenly as he always did.

As he wheezed out of control he thought about what he had saw. He was out of breath, reeling with fright from his nightmare.

Everything was the same, except everything was different.

He jumped out of bed making his way to the kitchen. His bare foot landing on the kitchen tiles were the only sound to be echoed throughout his apartment. After what he had seen he needed some water to calm his nerves.

There was one tiny detail different in the dream that has been haunting him. It was such a tiny detail and yet he would find himself always thinking back to this. He had never seen it before, never noticed it before and it left him so confused.

Sasuke sat at the kitchen table sipping his water. Even after the contents were gone he would sit there for a long while until he noticed it was morning. The light beginning to peak in through the shades.

What happened in his nightmare would have him questioning all he knew to be true.

Calling his dreams a nightmare wasn't really accurate he realized. They were memories…and seeing it while he slept was just him reliving the events. So if they were memories that meant that all he saw is what happened…correct?

Everything was the same.

Yet everything was different.

As painful as it was Sasuke went through a timeline of what happened that night. He needed to understand. He needed to be _sure_.

He was running home and entered his compound. It was dark outside and there was a creepy quietness to his compound that has never been there before. It wasn't cold outside and yet he had chills running through his body.

Then he came across the first body and felt horror. Then he saw more and more as he ran with urgency to his home. All around him his family was dead and he didn't understand what was going on.

Then he got to his home.

Sasuke shook his head not wanting to relive seeing the bodies of his fallen parents. He would skip over that part of the memory.

"Kaa-san…Tou-san" he whispered, his body shivering as he contained his sobs.

He was back outside again. Itachi refusing to kill him.

He was transfixed on Itachi's bloody sharingan, mesmerized by the swirling orbs, against his will. He would be overwhelmed by his feelings of confusion, anger and jealousy until the memory would end as per usual.

Everything was the same and yet everything felt so different.

He didn't know what to make of it. His memories were jumbled and he didn't know if what he saw was really real or not. Did it actually happen?

He went over it again.

He went to the academy, he came home and nothing would ever be the same. Itachi had killed his clan, his family and _their_ parents. Itachi felt satisfaction in doing this, he wanted to test his skill by murdering his own clan. That was where things got complicated, because last night one tiny detail was different.

Sasuke grabbed a few locks of his hair trying to make sense of things, he always thought Itachi felt no remorse.

So then why was Itachi ….crying?

He could no longer contain his sobs as his mind refused to get rid of the sight of his niisan with tears flowing down his face.

Sasuke was coming to understand everything was changing… and maybe just maybe all he knew to be true was wrong too.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Okay, honestly it's shorter than I originally planned but I'm just going to end things here. The next point of view will be split between Hinata and Kakashi. Honestly if I can get a lot of reviews I would gladly push to have the next chapter out for you guys in a few days! I feel excited because by next chapter they will be on their teams and I can finally get the true story rolling!

So please please please review and tell me your thoughts!  
Until next time…


	5. Chapter 5

A/N: Okay, in this chapter you will see what teams I have chosen. Honestly I'm expecting a lot of you guys to hate them, but hopefully in time you will grow fond of them. I thought about all kinds of different combinations and in the end this was what I chose. I just couldn't bring myself to use Oc's since it wouldn't feel right, so I hope you continue reading. Oh yea, I want to address everyone who is talking about how oc Hinata, Sakura, and Sasuke are. As I have said before this is an AU and I have PURPOSELY changed their personalities to my liking and how I would have wanted them to be portrayed in the manga/anime. Geez I'm starting to think no one reads these author notes. Also when I told you guys it would be split between Hinata and Kakashi I kind of lied! There's quite a bit of pov from Iruka in this chapter. Enjoy reading!

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Sasuke and Naruto have begun to get along, Hokage-sama! It's like they have changed, I haven't seen the two banter recently. Well…correction, they still banter with one another but it's different…playful I'd say!"

Iruka stood happily in front of him delivering news that while was admittedly good, was also bittersweet. The man had a cheery smile upon his face and his eyes were gleaming as if the answer to all their problems were fixed.

"I'm fully aware of that" He spared the man one glance before squinting at the piece of paper that he was analyzing. Of course he knew that the two boys were getting along well now. He had his eye on the four children after all. He had a lot of work to do so if that was all the happy go lucky chunin needed…

As if sensing that his presence was not entirely welcomed the young man cleared his throat and scuffed his feet.

"So…does this mean you will no longer change around this team? I must admit Hokage-sama I was nervous about them at first but it's just as you said…they will be fine after all!"

"Yes, maybe they will be but I'm no longer willing to take that risk. Sasuke and Naruto may get along but there are still other matters concerning me. This team will need all the support they can get."

If Sasuke Uchiha ever finds out the buried secrets of the village … he needs as many ties to Konoha as possible. As many people here that he cares about as possible.

He needs reasons to stay loyal.

"I'm afraid I do not understand?"

He allowed a small smile to grace his face, giving the confused chunin his undivided attention. He didn't expect him to understand his plans nor was he ready to fill him in quite yet.

"I'm fully aware that Naruto and Sasuke get along now, but I have already grown fond of placing my bets on something different. They say that the third time is the charm, ne?"

Wide eyes and sputtering was his waiting response.

"Iruka, I would like to invite you to a meeting taking place in a few days. In that meeting we will be discussing some important issues, the main one being the fate of the upcoming genin hopefuls. As their main instructor you have a right to be present."

The Hokage watched slightly amused as the man grew a blush across his face. He covered his face in embarrassment, taking the time to collect himself. Once he had himself together he bowed and responded.

"I'm honored to be invited, thank you Hokage-sama"

The hokage merely nodded and went back to reading over his reports. He could hear Iruka taking his leave.

He only had a few more days to get this right.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

She was walking home from their usual training together. Her head was admittedly not in a good place today. Naruto had come too close for comfort to ending their spar with a winning blow. Afterwards, she had fled with the excuse that she would be late for clan training. She wasn't entirely lying, she did have clan training today, but it wouldn't start until much later.

She had ignored their confused looks because on any other day she never left so early.

Lately, watching the interactions of her friends has become painful. Every day under her pupiless gaze she could see how the trio grew closer. They were getting along well and while it brought her joy she couldn't help the feelings of sadness and jealousy that were beginning to overtake that happiness.

They were looking like a real team.

Her cousin had once told her that once you leave the academy, the only time you have any more is for your team. Everything revolved around your team. His own team who had many friends in the academy no longer had time to see them, and the more time that passed they were fine with that.

Leaving the academy meant growing apart, and only becoming close to your chosen team.

She felt her heart ache, she didn't want to be forgotten. She was being selfish she knew, but she wanted more time with them, she had just gotten friends and she wasn't ready to lose them!

Each day it seemed they were leaving her behind in so many ways. She, only had her taijutsu so if their spars weren't entirely taijutsu based she was finding it admittedly difficult to find victory. They would leave the academy and learn so many new things and she only had her clan jutsu.

She was jealous.

She was jealous that it was her to be separated from their group. If she had a choice she would be put on a combat team immediately if she could stay close to them.

No, Hinata think of your clan, they need you. As heiress of her clan her life was not her own, her actions were not her own. Her father had beat that lesson to her in many ways. Every decision she makes could somehow affect her clan.

The clan was her.

She was the clan.

And family was to come first.

If her father knew her internal struggle he would be ashamed. But, she didn't want to be placed on that other team.

Hinata took a moment to think back to her mission.

In a way Kiba reminded her of Naruto, but not as kind. She found herself amused at the thought that the Inuzuka was a knock off of the bright Uzumaki.

Shino was admittedly strange. She couldn't get very close to him without hearing a threatening buzzing sound. She just couldn't figure out the Aburame. At first she thought maybe it was a natural reaction, but then she noticed it didn't happen around Kiba.

Perhaps Shino saw her as a threat in the rookie of the year race?

Being around the two who were so completely different was both interesting and overwhelming. She didn't know what to say to them. With the way they were treating her she didn't know if she wanted to say anything. Kiba was mean in a dismissing kind of way, something she had never even experienced with Sasuke. Then there was Shino who was quieter than she was, he made no effort.

The Inuzuka had suggested they throw the buckets of paint on the roof at once to finish painting quicker. She had politely told him that she wouldn't do that because she couldn't risk getting her clothes dirty. Besides, they were painting someone's home, they shouldn't do it in a rushed manner which may turn out sloppy.

After that he responded by yelling at her, offended, not letting her get a word out to defend herself. So she decided she would just keep her mouth shut, the Inuzuka clearly didn't understand that leadership was not necessary in this type of mission.

The couple hours they spent painting the roof was done in mostly silence expect for Kiba's loud complaints and orders that went ignored by herself.

They were just painting a roof so she didn't think someone could have so many ideas on how to get done faster.

Shino on the other hand would take the time to actually respond to the Inuzuka. The way he spoke his words to Kiba that didn't garner a loud reaction impressed her to no end. He had a way with words that subdued Kiba's naturally loud personality.

It was manipulation of course, but impressive none the less.

Then when she thought they were done she had got up, and spoke her opinion aloud. Kiba had smacked his teeth, continuing to paint where paint was no longer needed, for once ignoring her.

Shino had spoken about missing spots and how a darker tint was needed in specific areas. She had sighed understanding what was going on immediately.

She was not one of the boys, and for this reason they would not submit to her. The two of them could duke it out, eventually one of them coming up on top with the other accepting their leadership. No matter what she does they will never accept her, their pride as an heir and Inuzuka would not allow it.

But she was a Hyuga, an heiress at that. These boys were good but she refused to allow them the right to lead, especially when they did not earn it and respect her as an equal.

So she took the scroll, ignoring Shino's raised eyebrows barely visible over his shades, and Kiba's shouts of protest and she had went to find the owner. Afterwards once the scroll was signed, showing their mission was complete she returned to the boys to inform them.

The rest of the walk was awkward. Shino was always trying to walk a step ahead of the group while Kiba kept demanding to hold the scroll.

Yes in a way Shino was like Sasuke and Kiba like Naruto. But worse, she did not know how to deal with them.

Her friends could not be replaced.

She mentally prepared herself for training, she was kind of excited.

As she walked she took the time to enjoy her scenery. The Hyuga estate was little ways away and a bit isolated from the village. They are a clan that enjoys their privacy after all. So she relished in being able to see the village bustling with excitement.

Everywhere she looked she saw street vendors and potential buyers hackling over prices. Children running around playing together. Some she noticed, were playing ninja. To her right a vendor gave a red shiny apple to a small child, free of price of course. The child offered the old vendor a happy grin before running off, taking a big bite as he went.

As she passed a mother treating her children to savory candy she looked back for one last glance, this scene brought a sad smile to her face.

To her left she noticed an elderly woman carrying a handful of bags. Then a young man came over to take them from her.

It all brought a small genuine smile to her face.

Seeing her village prosper just brought her joy.

Once she entered her home she took off her sandals, settling them neatly to the side and made her way to her room. She took care to not have her footsteps make a sound on the wooden boards. Silent footsteps were something the Hyuga prided themselves on.

Finished tidying up her appearance she made her way to her father's office and once there she knelt, waiting.

"Enter Hinata" Came his firm voice that flowed through the screen.

She never stood to full height, instead she partially stood up, her knees bent, keeping her head to the ground. Slow and quiet she slid the door open and creeped in. Once it was closed she immediately knelt in a respectful manner.

"You are home early" It was question, she noticed immediately. These days she never returned early, today she was here several hours before her training was to take place.

"Hai chichioya-sama, I came to prepare myself for training."

So when she responded she wasn't at all surprised by his silence. Her father could always see through her lies. If it didn't affect him in anyway though he didn't care to question it.

She peeked under her bangs to see his reactions. Seeing that he was reading a scroll and his attention was not on her she darted them back down.

"Other pressing matters have surfaced. If I am not back in a few hours I will not be handling your training. If that case arrives I have prepared a replacement, you are to perform as if it is me"

"Hai chichioya-sama" Her voice fell, and she felt a wave of disappointment come through her. She always preferred to train with her father, though sometimes even she needed a break from his harshness. Today she needed a release from her thoughts. While all of her family members who trained her were superior to her in skill they were not especially cruel with her.

Today she needed to be regarded with the same level of brutality as her father treated her.

"You are dismissed"

So leave she did, in a worse mood than she came.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Iruka felt out of place.

He shuffled awkwardly, feeling the tale signs of his underarms wetting. Great, he was sweating. He looked around the large rectangular table for the hundredth time finding he recognized all the faces.

No matter how you thought about it, he did not belong here.

There was an eerily quietness in the room and he found himself breaking it a few times and drawing attention when he made to cough. He couldn't help it though, the tense atmosphere was making him feel like his throat was tightening.

To his left was a man who appeared to be sleeping. His eyes were closed, and if you didn't focus on his scars too much his face seemed to be relaxed. His arms are crossed together as well as his feet which were placed securely on the table, his back leaned comfortably into the chair.

As a chunin, Iruka knew better than to give in to the relaxed pose. The man was very much awake and probably aware of his gaze. He was Shikaku Nara, head of the Nara clan and father to the lazy Shikamaru Nara. Like father like son, he thought amusedly.

He took another peak at the man beside the brilliant strategist. His blond high pony tail gave him away to be the head of the Yamanaka clan, Inoichi. So this is the man who fathered the loud gutsy Ino.

The man was antsy and his eyes were darting everywhere. It made Iruka wonder what the Hokage had told the parents of the genin hopefuls what this was about.

Sitting beside the man was none other than Chouza Akimichi. His fiery red hair and facial markings made him very intimidating. The man caught his gaze and he found himself looking away quickly.

The man gave off an entirely different feeling than the kind Chouji.

Of course the Ino-Shika-Cho trio was sitting together, they were lifelong friends after all. He felt himself grow nervous at what would be spoken at this meeting.

Letting his eyes wander they landed onto another intimidating individual. Hiashi Hyuga of the esteemed Hyuga clan. The only skin exposed through his long robes was his face. He could not tell if the man was in a sour mood or if that was how his face always appeared before others.

He conducted himself in a manner just like Hinata.

Prideful, though the girl was less stiff than her father let on. He looked mean, as if he was looking down on everyone in this room at this very moment. There was no other way Iruka knew how to describe it.

He remembered how nervous he was in the meeting to discuss his daughter's placement at the academy. He felt ten times more nervous now.

Next he saw a man with a high collar, one that looked nearly identical to his sons. The spiky black hair, the black shades… the standoffish behavior, he didn't think it possible for Shino Aburame to look more like his father, Shibi.

He felt another cough tickle his throat and he looked to the green walls as he let it out, gaining unwanted attention once more.

"Ugh, someone get the little man some water already" He felt his ears grow hot at the irritable voice of Tsume Inuzuka. He dipped his head low in her direction as apology.

Beside Shibi was the only woman currently present. She had a devilish smirk with piercing narrow eyes, looking right at him. Her hair was wild and free. The matriarch of the Inuzuka clan, Kiba's mother. Looking at her own facial markings he thought about the rumor that her barbaric behavior had drove off her lover.

Everyone ignored her, but it wasn't really something that needed a response.

Beside her somewhere on the ground was her partner. He had seen the two together when she walked in.

He felt a wave of nausea overtake him, from his own growing anticipation.

Yes he did not belong here.

The only parent missing was Sakura Haruno's mother. Was it because she didn't come from a clan? Did the Hokage wish to talk to her privately and sugar coat things? He didn't know.

He was in the same room with some of Konoha's best jounin and respected clan leaders. He felt like a worm in comparison to these individuals.

The door opened once more to reveal councilor Danzo, those around him voiced their greetings to the man. He quickly followed suit.

A few minutes afterwards in walked councilor members Koharu Utatane and Homura Mitokado respectively. They too were greeted accordingly, being highly respected elders in the village.

Iruka felt himself shrink back into his seat when he was given glances longer than they gave anyone else. They too were wondering why he was here.

He sighed wondering what the Hokage was thinking when he invited him. And what was he thinking when he accepted?

He prayed his face didn't look as queasy as he felt. He needed to throw up.

Eventually he stood up, drawing attention once more, he felt his priority getting away from this unnerving room and finding the nearest toilet. Finding his resolve he was about to move toward the door until it creaked.

All the occupants of the room turned toward the door in anticipation. In walked the Hokage in all his glory.

Everyone else in the room stood, bowing. The Hokage took his seat at a lone chair at the head of the table. Once he nodded scuffing sounds were to be heard as everyone took their seats once more.

In his hand the Hokage had a few piles of paperwork. The last few weeks he hadn't been his usual self. He's been busier than usual and Iruka wondered if he ever left his office these days. He was worried for his lord…unknowingly he searched the old man's face for signs that he was treating himself well.

When the Hokage turned his gaze to him and offered him a genuine smile, he blushed and snapped out of his daze. Looking around the room he noticed he was the only one still standing so he hastily took his seat.

"Iruka, I am glad you were able to make it."

Several occupants in the room narrowed their eyes at the Hokage greeting the man. Of course they knew he was invited, he wouldn't dare show his face if he wasn't. But, they didn't entirely understand what this meeting was about.

They had clues of course and seeing him and each other gave them more ideas.

Iruka didn't think this would go over well.

"Hai, I wouldn't have missed it Hokage-sama" he responded, nervous being the center of attention.

"Wait, who is the puny man" Came the loud barking voice of Tsume once more. She looked at him tilting her head, most likely wondering if she should recognize him.

He prepared to introduce himself but it was not necessary.

"Inuzuka-san, he is Iruka Umino, one of the main teachers at the academy. He is responsible for the fourth years." The tranquil voice of Shibi answered the woman.

"Ah, my pups teach ne? He hasn't been giving you trouble has he?" She gave a wild grin before settling in her seat.

He shook his head absentmindedly. How did she not know he was her son's teacher? He met the woman a few years ago after all and told her that he would be following her son's class throughout their whole academy years until they graduated.

Iruka felt a sting at his pride coming to the realization that he must not have left much of an impression to be remembered.

The Hokage smiled once more before addressing the whole room.

"Thank you all for coming, as I know it was last minute but we have much to discuss, so let's get started"

Around the table many papers were distributed.

Hiashi's eyes narrowed as he picked up his share of the papers "I had training with my eldest planned, how long will this take?"

"As long as it takes, this can go by relatively quick or take all night. That is all up to you all"

Hyuga, Hiashi eyes narrowed further as he looked to the Hokage and began flipping through the papers.

Beside him Shikaku opened his eyes and took his feet off the table.

"Hokage-sama, what does this mean" came the hushed whisper of Inoichi as he stared at piece of paper in particular.

All eyes were on the Hokage, including his own.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Iruka found that he couldn't find his voice to speak as everyone took to yelling in anger and frustration. First the Hokage had talked about the "genin massacre" that occurred, at least that being the name everyone was calling it.

He spoke of how they had no leads, only suspicions. Even though one of the men who attacked a genin cell was a Suna missing nin there was no incriminating evidence pin pointing to the village being behind it.

The Hokage had been looking into the incident for months and had no leads. Even Jiraiya who the Hokage trusted extensively had no new information to tell him.

Some of the things being exposed in this meeting had Iruka once more wondering if he should be here.

The Hokage did not outright accuse Hiashi or the Hyuga clan of guaranteeing the safety of Neji Hyuga but the way he worded things let him know only an idiot would believe otherwise.

After hearing all the rumors around Konoha he finally knew what had happened, er well kind of.

Neji Hyuga had been carried, with extensive injuries by the summoning of his sensei. The summoning was a bear they knew because there was a few other shinobi who had contracts with them as well.

Once Neji's sensei had died, his chakra had vanished as well as his summon. Neji had been left on the verge of death until found by Konoha shinobi, hours later. The boy being alive and now ready for active duty was nothing short of a miracle.

Neji himself had no memories of what had happened.

The summoning had not seen who had attacked, as he just quickly followed orders.

Apparently Neji's sensei only had enough chakra to summon one of his size, as it was a cub who had carried Neji for hundreds of miles. The bear cub said he was ordered to carry Neji who was unconscious. He didn't know if the other students were alive or not, not that he would have had the strength to carry two if they were.

The whole time the Hokage had explained the ordeal he watched Hiashi Hyuga's face that gave away nothing. He gave no input, no corrections, all he did was listen like the others while the Hokage talked.

The Hokage still didn't know who had killed Neji's team, they had left no tracks, the only thing that remained where they were killed were three bodies burned far beyond recognition. Three bodies they couldn't find any useful hints from.

After speaking of all the genin teams that perished the room was quiet. Majority of the people in the room had children who were going off to become genin, this was not what they wanted to hear.

So when Hokage delivered his next news shock shook the room.

Iruka wanted to be on his Hokage's side, he really did but four man teams, really?

After such a disastrous year he wanted to do an experimental one with four man teams?

The Hokage silenced the room once more, to speak. All around him he saw angry expressions, demanding explanations.

Only the safety of their children could make these people react in such a way toward their leader.

" I have already decided on teams, After much deliberation I have decided on no scouting teams and unfortunately chosen to split up Ino-Shika-Cho"

"No scouting team? Then what will my pup be placed on?" Tsume Inuzuka lips turned into the beginning of a snarl as she spoke up first.

Beside her, most likely unpleased by these new events Shibi lifted his collar, awaiting a good moment to speak.

"Hokage-sama my clan specifically requested for my daughter to be placed under a scouting team, surely you understand why it is crucial you do this?" The hyuga's previously neutral face now had a frown with narrowed eyes, no doubt burning holes into the Hokage."

"Hokage, Ino-Shika-Cho has been together for generations! I don't understand why you would split up such a group when we have proven time and time again to be so formidable!" It was Inoichi who spoke up for the Ino-Shika-Cho trio, his other two teammates sitting quietly looking into space.

The Hokage ignored them all as he motioned toward the three elders who have also remained quiet throughout this ordeal.

"I have gone over this with Konoha's trusted council of elders and they agree. As a result we have also decided to test nine genin early this upcoming winter. Six of which are your children."

It was the middle of October and the test would take place in a little more than two months.

There were many reactions to the news, none of which were very favorable.

Iruka jumped as across the table Tsume let out a growl of furry. She took a couple minutes to calm herself down before addressing the Hokage. "Forgive me but I would have to disagree, I don't entirely believe Kiba is ready to graduate as of yet."

"After what happened with my nephews team when you had him graduate early I am also questioning these reasons. Hinata is the heiress to the Hyuga clan, we may have allowed leniency with Neji but not now." Hiashi Hyuga was not pleased evident by his raising voice.

"My Ino is not ready to be a shinobi Hokage-sama! You must understand that she's not ready to take on missions, k-kill, or-"

Beside him Chouza nodded in agreements and put a comforting hand on Inoichi, stopping his sputtering.

"Chouji is still too kind with much to learn, he needs more time Hokage-sama"

The Hokage took in the words of everyone before addressing two parents who have yet to speak.

"Shibi?"

"Shino is smart and capable for his age, I doubt that graduating early will make much of an impact on him. My concerns are with these genin cells being killed off with no leads on the perpetrators."

The Aburame ended the calculated words, pushing up his shades.

The hokage took the words in, not yet answering.

"Shikaku?"

The man beside Iruka uncrossed his arms to address his Hokage.

"My son's lazy so getting him off his ass six months earlier won't hurt him. Shibi-san already addressed the concerns with the genin cells being targeted. So my concern is these four man teams, if there are four students instead of the usual three wouldn't it lessen my kid's amount of one on one time with his sensei?"

Iruka eyes went straight to his Hokage…good point! There was a reason Konoha did three man cells after all. Three was just the right number. While Kumo usually did two-man partners because of their lack of numbers and because their ideal of it increasing stronger bonds between the two, Konoha had chosen teams of three.

Three people was the perfect amount to be able to balance teams with different talents as well as a good amount of people to face another enemy cell. There were many strategies they have developed over time that worked perfectly with three man cells.

It was what Konoha had done since they created the academy.

"I have taken that into account as well. I am choosing some of Konoha's most gifted jounin to be your children sensei's. They are graduating early because there is nothing they can no longer learn from the academy. They need this time in order to get a head start in their careers."

The unspoken words were clear to even him. They need to start making up for all the genin they have lost.

"These jounin are handpicked and have no choice in the matter, they will have no trouble balancing time between four children. Each of your children will get more than enough one on one time."

He was met with no arguments this time when he finished.

"Now in regards to the genin cells we lost, I will not stop looking into the matter, eventually I will have answers for all of you."

"But what about my daughter? She isn't safe!" Inoichi interrupted once more.

"Your children will all graduate in August if not December and you are all aware of the odds against a genin, those odds will never change. If they die under the command of the jounin I have chosen for them I'm afraid they never had a chance to begin with." The Hokage's words were absolute.

Looking around the room he could tell everyone knew the Hokage would graduate their children with or without their permission.

The room's temperature increased with everyone's anger nowhere close to being simmered.

"I know you all disagree with my actions now but I have confidence you'll be able to see I had nothing but the best interest of your children in mind when I made these decisions."

"Who will be on my daughter's team?" Hiashi demanded.

The Hokage was unfazed by his tone as he answered.  
"Sasuke Uchiha, Naruto Uzumaki, and a civilian named Sakura Haruno"

"What kind of team is this exactly?"

"They are perfect for a frontline team Hiashi" was his cautious response.

Hyuga were known for being able to keep their composure. It is said that it's impossible to be able to tell what a Hyuga was thinking because of how perfect they were at controlling their bodies. You couldn't pick up anything by analyzing their facial expressions and body language. They analyzed you, and didn't dare let themselves be given away.

But right now in this very moment there was nothing short of rage upon Hiashi Hyuga's face.

The room was deathly chilling in the few minutes of silence, everyone looking to the man to see how he would react.

"Hokage-sama, I am late for training with my daughter. I will be back with you to speak on this matter privately." he bowed and made a swift exit.

A whistle filled the silent room and everyone turned to the person who produced the sound.

"Jeez he's mad" came the taunting voice of Tsume.

The Hokage sighed and briefly rubbed circles upon his face.

"I had been expecting nothing less. It is unfortunate though, he didn't stick around for me to tell him his daughter's sensei."

Iruka thought it was now or never to voice his thoughts.

"Hokage-sama forgive me but all this sounds very risky" he spoke up.

"Boy, know your place in this meeting" came the disgusted voice of the elder Danzo. Iruka wrenched back, hurt by the offending words.

"Danzo, if I didn't want him to speak I wouldn't have asked he attend"

"What sounds so risky to you Iruka? As their teacher you know them well, I value your opinion so speak please"

Iruka licked his lips "No matter how I think of it nine children graduating early sounds risky Hokage-sama. These aren't just any children after all, their…important. Some of them are the future to their clans."

"I'm very aware of that Iruka, but we are out of options here."

Iruka was silent as the Hokage kept talking, he wanted to understand this from the Hokage's point of view, he really did.

"It's been almost a year since we graduated eight teams. That is twenty four genin, twenty-two of which are now dead. Nothing has ever happened like this before Iruka, you must understand that I can no longer look at these children's future the same as I would before these incidents."

Iruka looked down not finding it in him to meet the Hokage's stern eyes.

"So yes this is risky but we need something new. I have better qualified sensei's and there is safety in numbers so I have increased the team amount from three to four."

Shikaku spoke up, "As stuck up as Hiashi is I agree with him Hokage-sama. You're splitting up Ino-Shika-Cho for reasons you haven't yet named, getting rid of the scouting team, and to top it off placing three of Konoha's most high profile children on one team. If something is to go wrong we lose the last loyal Uchiha, the Jinchuriki, and Hyuga heiress in one sweep."

Koharu of the council spoke up, "If we had our way the jinchuriki wouldn't even be becoming a shinobi but this is a risk the Hokage is willing to take."

"So you fully support this decision?" Shikaku asked the three elders of the council.

"We do, we have looked at it from all angles and this is our best route to take. We came to the concussion years ago that we had more to gain than to lose from the jinchuriki becoming a shinobi than sitting around in the village." Danzo answered on behalf of the three.

Iruka could see now that it all came down to power.

Using children…for power. He thought of the enthusiastic hyper blond Naruto and felt saddened that in this moment his village looked at him as nothing more than a weapon.

At that more arguments and chattering ensued.

"Enough" The Hokage spoke, his voice silencing the room at once.

"The next graduating class will compose of at least three teams of four." His orders were just that, orders, leaving no room for argument.

"The Hyuga, Uchiha and Uzumaki will be on a team." His gaze moved to a photograph and after brushing over it he picked it up.

"This is Sakura Haruno" he held it up for all to see and Iruka saw the familiar bubble gum hair of one of his favorite students. The Hokage continued, "Beside Shikamaru Nara she has the highest grades for intelligence right now in the academy. She has been teaching herself medical ninjutsu and is on her way to becoming what I believe a fearsome kunoichi"

He placed the picture down. "A capable medic nin will be very useful for a frontline team. In addition their sensei will be Kakashi Hatake. These three are in good hands. This kind of team is where there village can best utilize their abilities, and the girl and Kakashi are the precautions I have in place to keep them safe."

Around him he could see several people nod, and Iruka finally found himself coming to agree with his Hokage.

Then just for good measure the Hokage spoke once more "Sasuke Uchiha respects these three children and it's important to the village for Sasuke not to see his teammates as a burden. It has come to my attention these four have been training together since summer. They trust each other and fuel each other to improve"

"Hinata Hyuga will be their scout, something all teams should have. She is their taijutsu specialist while Sakura Haruno is their medic. Sasuke is good with weapon handling and ninjutsu and hopefully soon will awaken his sharingan. Naruto has endless amounts of chakra so Kakashi has many jutsu he will teach the boy to use. Despite appearances these four complement each other quite well."

Iruka finally understood where his Hokage was coming from. From the silence around the room and thoughtful expressions, everyone else did too.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Hinata was out of breath as she weaved, dodged, and swirled out of the way of her opponent's hands. They were good but they weren't her father, for one her father's blows were always laced with chakra, her current opponent hands were not.

Her father said there was no greater way to never make the same mistake again than experiencing the pain that mistake brought.

So Hinata continued to dodge all the while her pulsing all seeing eyes looked for openings. Once seeing one she went in, only for her opponent to show speed he had not yet shown and end their match.

They stood off to face each other once more, but before they could they were interrupted by her father storming in the dojo. She analyzed him quickly, he was not in training garb, and he moved over to her quickly. There was a frown on his usually black face.

"Chichioya-sama, is something wrong?" she asked hesitantly, but happy at his unexpected presence.

He ignored her in favor of standing in front of her. He beckoned for her to attack, and as if he was forgetting something he addressed the man she was previously sparring with.

"Hisaki, you are dismissed" The man bowed and took his leave quickly, not wanting to be at mercy to his lord's wrath.

No, that person was Hinata Hyuga.

And she was strangely grateful her father was just as frustrated at something as she was.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"When class is over can these students please stay" Iruka-sensei read off a list of names and dismissed class.

When her name was one of several that was called she figured she had an idea of what it was about. She clutched her now bandaged arms together thinking about her father telling her she was to graduate early. She was both excited and nervous about the news.

She could tell with how her father was acting he wasn't happy about the matter.

"Now I'm sure your parents have let you know this but you will be expected to graduate this upcoming December, that is only a little more than two months from now."

Hinata was quiet listening.

"Now, The Hokage has decided to create four man teams this semester and you will be apart of this."

This was news to Hinata, she felt her eyebrows furrow knowing her father had not told her this bit of information.

"Does that mean it will be me, Sakura-chan, Hinata-chan, and teme together?" Naruto's loud enthusiastic voice was the first to break through the silent children.

Iruka offered him a small smile "I have not been given permission to disclose teams Naruto"

Naruto smiled back at him "You didn't say no!"

Iruka smiled in return, letting them leave.

As their group of four left Hinata debated over what this meant.

"I knew you guys were graduating early!" Naruto's voice rang in her ears.

She smiled and Sakura nodded.

"When did you find out Naruto?" she was curious since she herself only found out last night.

"Hokage-sama asked us about a month ago" she turned to look at Sasuke as he answered for the both of them.

"and you kept that from us…for a month?" Sakura's voice was shocked and a bit impressed as she directed her question to Naruto.

Hinata agreed, there wasn't much the blond kept from them. Sasuke she could see but not Naruto.

He shuffled his hair "eh, yea sorry bout that guys! But let's talk about how were going to be together!"

"Dobe this could mean the opposite" Sasuke cut in as he shoved his hands into his pockets walking a bit ahead of the group.

"Teams made of four? The academy doesn't usually do that unless there's an uneven number of graduates right? Besides, in those cases there more likely to pick teams of two if they can spare additional jounin." Sakura spoke up.

"Mhmm" Hinata found herself humming in agreement.

"So, does this mean that me, Sasuke and Naruto will be getting placed on completely different teams or are they just adding one more person?" Sakura inquired.

She shrugged her shoulders, "I'm wondering the same. No one is willing to tell us anything."

"Of course it means it'll be us four together, Iruka said it!" Naruto butted it. The boy has been in a great mood since the announcement.

"Baka. He didn't say that" Naruto rolled his eyes at Sakura not deterred at all.

"But he didn't deny it? Why wouldn't he deny it then? Everyone knows Iruka-sensei wouldn't lie to us"

It was a small point, but a point none the less.

Sakura considered this, gripping her chin. "Huh…You could be right Naruto."

Naruto eyes twinkled glad they were seeing things from his point of view.

"I want to agree with you Naruto but I don't want to get my hopes up" She hoped he understood.

XXXXXXXXXXXXX

Kakashi took his time as he waltzed up to the door of the Hokage's office. In one hand was a book by his favorite author, so he took his other hand and curled it, gently knocking upon the door.

The action was completely unnecessary as the third was already aware of his presence. Upon being given permission to enter the room he shoved the book into his jounin jacket, snuggly. He would pick back up on the chapter when he left.

He knelt and greeted the Hokage as per usual and waited for a mission to be granted. The mission couldn't be urgent because the Hokage would have wrote that in the letter he had the messenger hawk give him. Anything labeled as urgent and he would have been on time, and on a good day… a rare good day early perhaps.

"Kakashi, I'm afraid you're not going to like what I am going to tell you."

He looked up at the words, what kind of mission could this be? If the Hokage was speaking like this it must be a solo mission and high ranked at that.

More work…. But he preferred working alone so that was fine.

He titled his head encouraging the Hokage to continue.

The old man hesitated as if finding no right way to deliver the news.

"Hokage-sama what is-"

"You will be a sensei."

He was rendered speechless.

"Pft, Hokage-sama you know how I feel about this matter" he finally spoke up, his voice was light, playful even. He remained calm, he has had this very same conversation with the Hokage many times and he was confident it would end the same.

"I'm very aware of how you feel but I'm afraid that isn't enough to prevent this, not anymore."

His lips fell from their small smile and his eye no longer twinkled with amusement upon hearing the serious tone. What brought this up so suddenly? Usually it was brought up jokingly but this time it felt different. It seemed he couldn't joke his way out of this one.

"It was never a matter of whether or not you would become a sensei but of when and now is the time. You will cease your missions as jounin immediately upon the graduation of your genin in December."

"December? So I am to be given genin that have failed?" He snapped but his voice was never raised. Everything was coming too soon. Everyone knew that genin graduate in August unless they started late or were failures from the previous semester.

"I will only fail them, you know that Hokage-sama" he spoke up once more. There, the Hokage would see it wasn't worth forcing him to be a sensei when he would only test and fail the children. The genin hopefuls would become casualties in this war he was having with the third. Knowing his Hokage, that was the last thing he would want. He looked up expecting to get his way until he saw that face.

Yes, the face that he had only seen the Hokage use a few times within his own life, even fewer directed at him. One being when he told him that he would be relieved from his anbu duties.

He hadn't been asked or included in the decision as he had with other matters before. All he was told was that he would leave Anbu at once before it corrupted his mind even further.

Till this day he couldn't say he completely understood the reasons he had to leave anbu. Though he decided he didn't need to because he had complete faith his Hokage had made the right decision.

He couldn't say the same for this situation.

"No, these children are graduating a semester early, and you will not fail them under any circumstances." The old man's face was hardened and his gaze was as sharp as a kunai.

Yes, that was the same face and it was then he realized this was an order and not a suggestion. Kakashi bit his lip under his mask realizing he had offended him with the threat.

Sometimes he forgot that while his Hokage was kind, he was not to be questioned.

He felt a sense of betrayal come over him, betrayed by his own Hokage. It was silly he knew, but he couldn't help the feeling. Becoming a sensei was not something he ever wanted to accomplish in life. He never wanted another team again and he always thought the Hokage would respect this wish.

He could not re-live outliving a team again, he refused.

He refused to bear witness to each of their deaths.

He'd rather die.

He remained quiet wanting to leave already.

"Kakashi, it can only be you who trains these children" The Hokage softened his face, trying to get him to understand.

Only him? Kakashi mentally cursed the third as his curiosity was piqued.

"Who are they?" He finally spoke up after a few moments, the Hokage getting the better of him. He knew he was being baited but he was admittedly wondering who these children could be to force him into this situation.

Deep down though he was still hopeful that he could find a way out of this somehow, but for now he would go along with things.

The Hokage smiled, misinterpreting his words as surrender. He pulled out three pictures handing them over.

"Sasuke Uchiha" he read aloud, the reasoning for this boy were obvious as day and night. The boy looked stuck up, and bored with life in his picture. He will need help with his sharingan when it finally awakens. He understood why it had to be him but he didn't want the death of the last loyal Uchiha reigning over his head.

Reading the first name had sealed his fate. There was no possible way he could get out of this.

"Naruto Uzumaki" this name was spoken with a tint of sadness. So he was to receive the son of his own sensei, the fourth Hokage? He was one of the very few in the village granted with being privy to the information that he was the Hokage's son. It was a well-kept secret, all others didn't even know he was really an Uzumaki. He was given the name under the rouse of inheriting it from the previous jinchuriki, as he was the new one. Yes, they told everyone he was an orphan with no name of his own and it was Kushina dying wish for him to be given her last name.

No one questioned anything. Who would question the supposed dying wishes of a woman who just lost her husband, unborn child, and her life? People could connect the dots if they knew Kushina's unborn child had survived. It was common knowledge of the fourths relationship with the woman.

The world wasn't ready to know there was a living offspring with Minato and Uzumaki blood in him.

His target was large enough as the jailor of the nine tails. Kakashi crumpled the paper not wanting to accept responsibly for the life of his sensei's son.

"Sakura Haruno" A civilian, ne? He read over the brief summary quickly, when he was finished a frown was under his mask. She sounded like Rin. Smart, capable, and on her way to becoming a promising medic nin.

Deja-vu came over him.

This team was just like his own, but worse. They were too high profile.

His one eye glared at the third Hokage…..how cruel.

"You see why it is you who must be their sensei?"

He did not warrant the question with a response.

"Perhaps things will be different this time around" The Hokage shuffled through his papers on his desk and when he offered him one he found himself confused. He leaned forward taking it.

It was a picture of another girl. He didn't bother reading the summary at the bottom but from first glance he knew she was Hyuga.

"You are going to be the sensei of four children Kakashi"

He was out of the Hokage's office and the building before the dropped pictures had even touched the ground.

He was no longer in the mood to read.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

It was nearing noon, the day before her academy exams and Hinata was in the main house dojo. They had been given the day off to prepare for the exam and Hinata felt more nervous than she should. Earlier she had enjoyed a light breakfast outside despite the freezing weather. The December winds were harsh and unforgiving, but Hinata enjoyed them to no end. She had started the day with hot tea and her favorite treat, cinnamon buns.

It couldn't be considered a proper breakfast but it started the day off right.

Afterwards she had summoned Senshi for their training. She summoned him during times when she couldn't even squeeze in training, just to enjoy his company. Even with her busy schedule the duo made sure to train together at least four times a week. An hour of synchronizing their bodies together could go a long way to perfecting their partnership.

It was a good thing that the main house dojo was large enough for Senshi to move around unrestricted, otherwise they would have to train outside. Though this weather didn't bother Senshi, he was used to much worse.

When they were finished Senshi had went and found a corner to lay down near as he watched over her doing her Kata. That was about an hour ago, so now finished, she looked over to see him dozing off.

She pranced on over to him, feeling winded from the two exercises. While she trained she could feel her chakra leave her body to join Senshi to keep him here. It was tiring but every drop of chakra was worth it. She wanted him to remain here as long as possible, instead of going back to that lonely place.

When she was younger Senshi was what fueled her to expand her chakra coils. Her young eight year old mind comprehended that the more chakra she had the longer he could stay.

Her body was glistening from sweat and the moisture did not mix well with the cool breezes that have made their way from outside and into the dojo. She shivered and looked longingly toward his thick warm fur. She moved her way over and took a seat near his body huddling to him for warmth.

She smiled into his fur when he stirred awake but did not reject her advances. To think this was the same Senshi she had met when she was eight years old. She moved in even closer and opened her eyes to take in his beauty.

Senshi was so breathtaking to her. To think he had been considered an abnormality within his pack.

As her eyelids slowly descended over her eyes she thought the idea of a nap sounded wonderful at the moment.

"Don't you have to prepare for tomorrow?" his voice was hoarse and rough. Couple that with his intimidating appearance and you would never guess he has such a gentle side to him.

She opened her eyes to catch his golden gaze and she felt her cheeks warm. "Hai, but a quick nap couldn't hurt right?"

A snort was her response, "Don't blame me if you don't pass" He laid his head back down. Hinata could feel his deep even breaths as they vibrated her body, it calmed her. Listening to it was her very own lullaby.

"Senshi, tomorrow I will become a genin of Konoha" the words were spoken with disbelief. She didn't know if she was trying to convince herself of this fact or her wolf. Perhaps both?

Her wolf didn't open his eyes to respond, "Yes, you will". That was all she needed. When she felt relief she realized she was trying to convince herself this whole time. Senshi had faith that she would pass her exams.

"I won't forget what I promised you"

Silence, not that she had been expecting a response.

Hinata drifted off to sleep.

When she awakened she was saddened to see Senshi had disappeared. She had run out of chakra and the wolf had to return. That was how things went, she knew that. Since a small portion of her chakra was already replenished she wondered how long she's been sleeping.

The dojo… she has been sleeping here more than her own bed lately.

Hey eyes flashed to the doors when she sensed a presence. Straining her ears she could make out someone excusing themselves as they let themselves in. She was welcomed to the sight of her caretaker, Ko.

Since she had started the academy and requested for no escort she hadn't seen much of him. When she had begun her afternoon training sessions with Naruto, Sakura, and Sasuke she had seen even less of him.

Though often she couldn't shake the feeling that someone was watching her when she was out and about. She would be a fool to think that as an heiress she was so free to do whatever she pleased without supervision.

"Hinata-sama, your father had requested your presence in his office." He bowed slightly and Hinata looked to the man in his shinobi attire. He must be on his way out for a mission? Or maybe he was coming back? To think that starting tomorrow that would be her.

"Ah, thank you Ko" she smiled warmly at the man and stood to brush herself off a bit. She wondered briefly what her father wanted her for before she followed the branch member out of the dojo, and allowed him to escort her.

No matter how many times she told him it was unnecessary, he always insisted. Ko took his duties as her guardian very serious.

When they arrived he took his leave and Hinata entered her father's office. As always she waited to be called on before she spoke.

"You are to graduate tomorrow" Yes, she was to graduate tomorrow and with flying colors at that.

"Hai" was the only suitable response she knew to give.

"I am not wrong to assume you will meet your expectations?" He was testing her, and Hinata almost faltered under his stern gaze. As heiress she would have to graduate with the title of rookie of the year, anything less was unacceptable.

"Hai chichioya-sama, I will not disappoint you." Hinata was glad that she didn't have to meet his eyes. It would be easier for him to see through her. Though he must be satisfied with her answer as he grunted and she could hear him shuffling through things, his attention no longer on her.

"I had this prepared as a gift for your graduation." Hinata looked up to see a rectangular box on top of her father's desk. The color of the box was a pale pink and it was dressed up by a fancy bright red bow.

As heiress to her clan she was no stranger to lavish gifts. Most were received on her birthday by allies of her clan and potential suitors for when she came of age. Others were from visiting merchants, those with high social class, and people conducting business with her clan, and hoping it would gain them some favor.

She was to become the future leader of her clan, and maintaining good relations didn't end with the current leader. Hinata never turned away a gift as it was rude but she never felt right actually using them. They were gifted to her but never felt like they were truly hers.

She rarely ever received gifts from her father. So to say she was shocked to receive something was an understatement.

Once a year she received one on her birthday, so in her soon to be twelve years she has been given a whopping eleven gifts by her father. Four of which she was too young to remember what they were. She was spoiled and yet she was not. It was a contradiction that would probably only make sense to her.

Though no matter what her father gave her it could never compare to the time he spent with her. Training, it was her only excuse to spend quality time with her father and she greedily soaked up every moment.

She was selfish, she knew.

Her father nudged her over to take the box and slowly she rose and made her way over on shaky legs. When she was in front of the box she looked to it then to her father to be sure he would not change his mind. He was patient with her as she hesitantly and slowly ran her fingers along the smooth wrapping paper.

It was so pretty.

She carefully untied the bow and as best she could undid the wrapping paper. Then she opened the box to see two gorgeous fabrics.

"Battle kimono tops, you will need to find your own pants for them. I had the fabric sent from the capital, but they were prepared here." She listened to her father's explanation on how sturdy the material was before she went back to examining them.

Hinata was in awe as she took them both in. The color of the two kimonos were a very a pretty tan. They were nearly identical but there were a few differences. She could hear her father explain one was made for summer as it was completely sleeveless and the other was winter. She took in the long running sleeves with her eyes, in the back of her mind she hoped they stopped directly at her wrist. Knowing her father and how important perfection was, they probably did.

Her eyes ran along all the lines painted in black. They wove together to make beautiful designs, it was all up to the imagination what they resembled. Flipping them over to see the back she almost gasped.

Boldly taking up the back was a large symbol of her clan crest in red, the outer circle yellow. It all just contrasted so nicely and Hinata knew she had never been given something more meaningful than this.

They were beautiful.

"Make the Hyuga proud, Hinata" Absentmindedly she nodded as she held back her thankful tears, clutching the two garments close, as if they would disappear at any moment.

She would treasure them.

After leaving her father's office she had all but ran to her room in excitement. In front of her mirror she stood trying on the winter Kimono top. Her assumption was right, the sleeves stopped directly at her wrist so they would not hinder her gentle fist movement. She had tried on the top with simple black pants and her sandals.

The length of the top stopped directly at her waist and she used the sash to keep it closed.

She had discovered something new, inside of the spacious sleeves were several areas she could conceal kunai. She smiled pleased once more.

Then she giggled and twirled in front of mirror liking how the sleeves and the bottom flowed out.

At first she had been concerned at the immodest slight v-cut the Kimono made but she knew that was easily fixed. Her father had chosen where he wanted her to wear her headband. She couldn't wear it proudly on her forehead, as that was an insult to her clan. Up till now she had been debating on where to place it.

She imagined the leaf forehead protector on her neck and decided she liked it there. She was of course a tad upset she had not chosen, but she liked it none the less.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Hinata, Neji, The day following the next you two will be receiving your teams. To better prepare you it is time for you to learn one of our clan's most sacred jutsu. This technique is considered the Hyuga's ultimate defense, the Eight Trigrams, Palms Rotation."

Hinata was confused. She refrained herself from shooting her cousin a look, but surely he must be as confused as she. This technique was only passed down within the main branch so what did teaching it to Neji mean?

She decided she didn't care, Neji was just as talented as her if not more, he had a right to learn.

"Neji, you have my blood running through your veins and I promised my brother I would do all I could to protect you."

Hinata wondered what lengths her father had went through to get this approved by the elders. Or if they even approved for that matter. She finally looked to Neji and felt herself happy that he was now back to full strength. His eyes did not marvel the thoughts he was feeling. Her cousin had an excellent poker face.

She still had to work on her own stone face, at times she found she was able to produce it, and others it was done with great difficulty. It did not come naturally to her like her cousin.

He had spent a month in the hospital, followed by rehabilitation and trying to get his body back to where it once was.

She had missed him.

"Let's get started" She gave her full divided attention to her father.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Hinata sat proudly with her Konoha forehead protector against her neck. It felt snug, like it belonged there all her life. She had chosen against wearing her Kimono top, deciding to wear it when she found out her team tomorrow.

Nothing could damper her mood.

She sat beside Sakura who had went ahead of her on the list, as it went in alphabetical order by last name. When she had passed she came back to the room, her and the pinkette discussing how easy the exams were.

A few more children filled the room she wasn't too familiar with and she and Sakura waited. Eventually Sasuke came waltzing into the room with a nonchalant expression. She felt happiness overfill her that he had passed, not that she doubted he would for a second.

As she voiced her congratulations he rewarded her with a half-smile, offering his own congrats and taking a seat beside Sakura. Sakura had chosen to wear her headband not on her forehead but on the top of her head, placed securely over her hair.

It was an odd area, but Hinata felt happy she wasn't the only one to wear her's differently. She took notice of Sasuke tying his own around his forehead. He was more excited than he let on.

Now, they were waiting for Naruto.

Seeing as his name was directly after Sasuke's they shouldn't have to wait long.

They waited patiently, and eventually their efforts were rewarded when the blond revealed himself sporting a new headband placed proudly on his forehead with a large blinding grin and a thumbs up.

"We all passed, Dattebayo!" The boy let out a joyous laugh and Hinata smiled right back.

"Congratulations Naruto!" She could hardly contain her excitement and she swore her face would bust from smiling so much. All of her friends passed, they were now shinobi of their village! Sworn protectors of the village hidden in the leaf.

"Yea congrats Naruto, we were worried about you there." Hinata giggled into her hand at the playful teasing Sakura shot Naruto's way. Her giggling escalated more as the blond whipped his head in her direction, offended and stuck out his tongue.

"Why were you worried about me? That test was so easy!"

Indeed it was. It was a written test, followed by creating three bunshin, a Henge, and Kawarimi. If you passed the test and did all three successfully then you could become a shinobi. Hinata thought in order to fail you had to have been aiming to. Unless in Rock Lee's case you could not do three of the four. The boy had failed last time because he has very little chakra and cannot use it effectively.

This time though he had finally gotten approval to be excluded from that part of the exams. While waiting for Sasuke and Naruto, they had a small conversation with the boy. It seems they had substituted that part of the exams for a taijutsu exhibit. He said it did not go as well as he would have liked but it got him through. He was aiming to perfect his taijutsu and become a 'genius of hard work'.

Those were his exact words.

Right now his taijutsu was mediocre at best, but he had a never give up attitude that reminded her of Naruto. He was going to attempt to be a shinobi with no chakra, and Hinata wished him the best of luck. She had no clue how he was going to accomplish it, but she hoped his future teammates and sensei would take him seriously. He was a sweet boy, a bit of obsessed with Sakura and strange but a good person none the less.

Since he was aiming for taijutsu that was unmatched by anyone else that would make Lee her rival right?

"Heh, if there was anyone we should have been worried about it's the Teme! They probably would have decided he was too moody to become a shinobi!" Naruto's voice brought her back to the conversation. He laughed at his own joke, and she looked to Sasuke for his reaction.

"…Dobe" Sasuke shook his head and went back to minding his own business. Every now and then he would run his fingers through his hair and she couldn't help but notice his fingers that lingered, touching his headband.

Sasuke was in as much disbelief as them.

Iruka walked into the room, a sign that all of the testing was finally finished. She stood up straighter, maintaining a good posture in preparation of his words. He had the biggest smile plastered on his face she had ever seen.

"Congratulations on your graduation everyone!" The room burst out into excitement. Hinata looked around the room to see everyone congratulate each other and talk about their future. Naruto was among them as he began speaking about team formations he wanted them to use and the like.

"Now, I just wanted to personally tell you how proud I am of each and every one of you. Passing the academy curriculum is no joke, and each and every one of you have done it. I wish you the best of luck on journey from here on out. " Hinata beamed at the words.

"Now to get to what you are all probably wondering. After much deliberation between the teachers we have named the rookie of the year to be Sasuke Uchiha!"

Hinata's heart dropped.

"Followed not too far behind we decided that the Kunoichi of the year is Hinata Hyuga, congratulate your classmates everyone"

She couldn't hear the applause and words of her classmates. Hinata wasn't in such a good mood anymore. She had her head straight down staring at the table. Her eyes focused on a scratch on the table in particular as her mind went a hundred miles per minute. Unbeknownst to her, she had balled her fist.

How did this happen?

How could she allow herself to lose?

Those were some of the questions that she asked herself.

Failure….failure….you're a failure to your clan. You disgrace them. They deserve better than you.

She tried to hold in her tears a little longer, and as they were dismissed with the order to return tomorrow for their teams she sped out of the room as quick as possible.

Her tears finally fell when she asked herself the hardest question of them all.

How will father react?

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Kakashi took in the large dojo with his lone eye. He had been escorted here by someone he assumed to be a branch member by the cloth over her forehead.

He was here to have an audience with the Head of the Hyuga clan, Hiashi. All in regards to the fourth unwanted member of his team. Not that he wanted any of them.

So, first he noticed the man standing tall and proud, not yet choosing to acknowledge his presence. His arms were stretched out gripping his cane firmly, but his body was still and calm. It was his way of displaying his superiority and power. The man's attention was on the small Hyuga girl who leaped at the man, with a ferocity that impressed Kakashi because of her age.

The girl successfully got in close only for the cane to make contact with her stomach and fling her. Her body sored through the air before hitting the wall with a sickening crunch. The girl, who he figured was the youngest daughter of Hiashi did not get up.

"Your too reckless Hanabi" came his reprimanding words.

Now, no longer distracted by the show his eye continued to survey the room and this time stopped on an unconscious figure on the other side of the dojo. Kakashi could not see her face from this angle but she could only be Hinata Hyuga.

If Kakashi wasn't a ninja he could easily mistake the girl for dead.

Kakashi took in the girl with well concealed surprise at the ugly angry markings upon her skin. There was no part of her body that was unscathed from his view. For everywhere Kakashi looked he could see bruises ranging between red and purple hues.

The girl's skin was as pale as snow, it contrasted too much.

Feeling eyes on himself, he looked to Hiashi Hyuga who was watching him with an expression he couldn't quite put his finger on. It was quite obvious her appearance was done by his hands. The Hyuga clan had harsh training methods, he's always heard, but no one could deny it produced results.

He had no opinion on the matter.

What happened in the Hyuga was not his business.

So he cleared his throat and bowed out of respect, as the Hokage told him to do.

"Kakashi-san, welcome, would you care for some tea?" The man took one of the cups of hot tea, evident by the steam pouring out and rising into the air, offered to him by the very same branch member to escort him here.

She moved silently.

When she made her way over to him he declined and she excused herself, making her leave. Kakashi watched the man lightly blow the hot tea and take small sips, all while never releasing the grip from his cane. Kakashi admittedly felt uncomfortable.

Not that he was intimidated.

Uncomfortable because he did not want to be here fighting for a girl he did not want.

"Now, I assume you are not here of your own free will but that is fine. This gives me the opportunity to address some concerns I have" The man had waited until he was completely finished his tea before speaking to him. As he sat the cup down Kakashi thought over a response.

The man was right, if he had a choice he would not be here.

"What concerns do you have Hyuga-sama?" came his clipped response.

"The heiress of my clan was placed on a frontline team, does that not speak for itself?"

It did, and it spoke volumes. He was not the only one questioning the sanity of their Hokage lately.

"Hai, it was decided that her abilities would be best utilized on a combat team" Kakashi danced around the problem.

"I'm fully aware of her abilities, my focus lies with her safety. She is Hyuga and heiress at that, with the remaining Uchiha and Jinchuriki on her team. Then there is you and your many names. This team hasn't even formed yet and there is an arrow pointed at your back"

Kakashi knew everything the man was pointing out. He had his work cut out for him. The man was concerned because even as heiress of the Hyuga clan his daughter's life would never be the priority on this team. It would always come down to Sasuke or Naruto.

It was a hard truth that those two were more important to the village.

"Yes, this team will either back fire completely or become a force to be reckoned with" Hiashi Hyuga was a smart man. He hoped he would appreciate his honesty.

"I will do as much as I can to protect her" Those were the only words the man wanted to hear after all.

"Heh, my clan gladly yields to the decisions of the Hokage but even we had our skepticism as of late with his actions. One starting with Neji having to graduate early and being put on a team not deserving of his ability. My clan was forced to take matters into our own hands."

Wait, Was Hiashi Hyuga admitting to what was suspected? He himself knew it to be true, or at least he came to that conclusion but he wasn't expecting to hear this when he came today.

"Neji is my nephew, the son of my late twin brother. We share the same blood. He is family, and Hyuga protects their own. Neji's sensei was not as money hungry as the village perceives him to be. The money we gave him will do well to support his three children. He was a single father posed with a choice, he made the right one."

Kakashi, surprised by the lack of regret and casual confession spoke up ready to protest.

"Hiashi-sama you should know-"

"Kakashi-san, unfortunately I am fully aware that there is nothing my clan has of interest to you in exchange for the safety of my daughter" Good, they know he couldn't be bought.

There was a moment of silence.

"Stand Hanabi" his voice reign with the rigid command. The small child no older than five or six shook and tiredly attempted to pull her body up off the floor. Both the Hyuga head and soon to be sensei found their eyes shift and wander to the limp form that was the Hyuga heiress.

"I will have faith I trained her well enough so that she live, though if she were to die, it will be a heavy blow for my clan. Yes, her sister is strong and her cousin even more so but the death of the one entitled to the birthright will bring many inconveniences to my clan."

A death was nothing more than an inconvenience? Kakashi wondered if he cared for the girl at all until he saw the man's eyes gloss over almost fondly looking at her unconscious form.

"My daughter is only nearing 12 and she is fully aware of her responsibilities and what her life means to this clan."

Getting a read on the man was difficult. He didn't know what he was expecting though, Hyuga were masters at poker faces.

Once more there was a moment of silence as Kakashi thought that over, he spoke up realizing he had remained quiet for a while now.

"From scouting on my future team she seems very observant. She conducts herself in a manner years beyond her age." He appraised the Hyuga leader lightly, the lie flowing out easily. He had yet to do any recon on his future team in his own silent rebellion to the third hokage.

It was an assumption in the shinobi community that if the stone cold leader of the Hyuga clan had a weakness, it must be his daughters.

The man nodded accepting the praise.

The Hyuga spoke in code, so with each words spoken he found himself looking underneath the underneath. The Hyuga accepted Hinata as their future leader because it was her birthright and she was proven worthy of the fact. If Hinata were to die the clan would split, some wishing for Neji to lead and others Hanabi. The result of her death would lead to an internal power struggle they could foresee but only attempt to prevent.

Kakashi felt himself grow more tired as he realized it wasn't just the life of a girl on his shoulders. His actions could indirectly affect the future of this clan. A clan that held major influence in Konoha.

"Kakashi-san, I approve of you to become her sensei. Though you will be wise to remember, the Hyuga always repay our debts."

The Hyuga believed that her best chance was with him. That was the closest he'd get to a verbal acknowledgment of his skills. Then the Hyuga followed that up with a threat, as subtle as it was. If she dies under his command we will come seeking your blood it oozed.

And it was the Hyuga clan so they would achieve it by any means.

Well, they could try.

If he was a lesser man, the white eyes of the Hyuga would unnerve him to no end.

How would he fare up against the esteemed Hyuga clan who had without a doubt access to many talented shinobi who could be paid to do their dirty work. They wouldn't even blink an eye to spend a pretty penny to find the few mercenaries with abilities on his level.

Kakashi stopped himself from thinking about it. If there was one thing he was certain of if they succeeded in killing him they would wipe their hands clean of any suspicion.

Kakashi dipped his head low, thanking the man for his acceptance to train his daughter.

"I assume that means I'll be able to teach her other abilities…elemental jutsu for example?" This was the real reason he was here.

"No, she will only learn clan jutsu" Kakashi racked his brain for an appropriate retort. How could he respectfully tell him that was unwise?

"Her other teammates will be learning new things while she is stuck with her gentle fist. The byakugan is indeed formidable but as a frontline shinobi-" he paused taking notice of Hiashi's face hardening. It would seem the man would always harbor a grudge about his daughter being assigned to a team that reeked death.

Taking a moment to let out a forced cough he continued.

"Being a part of a frontline team and so young she will need more versatility to her. I know several jutsus in mind that seem befitting of her. With her abilities she would no doubt pick up on them quickly" Throwing in a little flattery never hurt…right?

"It is tradition that Hyuga dedicate themselves to the gentle first arts. The council will not bind"

It would seem he would need to go there.

"In order to increase her chances of survival it is crucial-"

"I will rather have my child die honorably from having her gentle fist defeated than any other way"

"At the rate she is going she will fall behind her teammates. Yes, she is superior to two of them now but if you don't allow her to broaden her horizon, I'm afraid that will change. Please keep in mind that when she steps on a battle field she is already at a disadvantage to the others. Your clan has a renowned reputation, everywhere she goes she will be recognized on sight just by her eyes. No doubt she will face many foes who are prepped on how to handle her style of fighting."

"Against my will the son of my late brother who I swore to protect was graduated early. He survived by a hair's length. Against my will and the wishes of my clan my own daughter has now been graduated early. Against the recommendation of my clan she was placed on a frontal assault team and not a scouting one. Now, you stand before me wishing to change years of tradition? Asking so much of my clan, the nerve! My daughter is promising but she will garner no special attention. As a leader in the making she will be an example to the others."

"She is a Konoha ninja…her duties are first to her village. She would be doing a great disservice not to live up to her potential." Kakashi remained unfazed to the harsh tone, and spoke calmly.

"You are mistaken Kakashi-san, my daughter's responsibilities are first to her clan, being as she is heiress."

"If that is so, she is unsealed and of main branch. Let her have the tools necessary to keep your precious secrets, it's her responsibility to her clan after all."

"My hands are tied and my decision remains unchanged"

He fought for the girl, he really did.

"You must be wondering how Hinata placed second of her class and didn't clench the spot of rookie of the year. While it is very apparent she is superior to Sasuke Uchiha in taijutsu, in all other aspects he trumped her. In intelligence they both ranked the same, tying for third, but taking into consideration tool handling, ninjutsu and genjutsu it was unanimously decided to give the spot to Sasuke. Please Hiashi-sama rethink this decision, I will want to touch up on it again."

The only reason he knew this was because he was forced to see the Hokage earlier today. The Hokage was aware that he was not going out of his way to learn things about his team. He tried to sneak in as many facts and things to him as possible.

"If my daughter is killed so easily perhaps it just proves she is not worthy of her status after all?"

Why was he here?

He did not want this. He did not want to train his daughter, or anyone's child for that matter. Yet here he was, practically begging for the man to let him teach his daughter things other shinobi would be begging him to learn.

He was here on the behalf of the Hokage who just wanted to put a nail in the coffin on the fate of the Hyuga girl. He had heard the clan's anger lingered. The Hokage was correct when he spoke of how painfully prideful they were.

'Make sure you are respectful. Allow them to feel like they hold all the power, and you will do fine.' What the third told him itched into his mind. These power games with the Hyuga sounded tedious to even him and it was his first.

Since the girl was on his team, to stay, he would no doubt be having more.

He had enough blood on his hands as it was, and he was not eager to add four children to that. He was covered elbow deep with blood as it was. The Hokage had given him a mission that seems impossible.

Suddenly he wanted to return to anbu.

By that time the little Hyuga girl was standing on shaky legs. She gripped the kunai tightly in her hand, her face was flushed with a tiredness shown in her body and eyes. But she was determined. Her father offered her a raised eyebrow in approval. The girl wiped her sweaty bangs blocking her vision and she moved, running with eagerness to engage her father.

Didn't she know her actions were futile? Kakashi found himself confused at why she was not discouraged.

Before the girl had reached him the Hyuga leader turned to him and spoke one last time.

"Our clan will live on regardless of all outcomes"

With those parting words he was dismissed. As he was escorted out of the dojo he sent the father and daughter engaged in training one last glance. The girl…strangely enough, as she was struck, got back up, but this time with a smile on her face. She was in bliss.

Then he understood.

At that age he too yearned and seeked his father's approval.

Kakashi left the estate with mixed feelings on the way of the Hyuga clan.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Hinata took her time as she walked to the academy. Trudging slowly as her bones and muscles ached beyond what her wildest imagination thought was possible.

The look on her father's face when she told him she did not earn the title of rookie of the year. She had never seen him so angry…so surprised…so disappointed.

Disappointed that she was his daughter.

She had been expected to produce results worthy as her title of heiress of the Hyuga clan and she did not make them. She was tired, and everywhere on her body hurt. She had taken one look at her Kimono tops and decided she could not wear them.

Not yet.

She needed to redeem herself, and she had no clue how to do that as of right now. Today she would be separated from her friends. She had lost her father's hard earned respect.

Today wasn't a good day. So she made her way through the gates of the academy, nostalgia taking over her body.

Opening the door she took notice of her being the first person. You would think that on a day like this everyone would be excited to show up. She took in the smell of the classroom, realizing it would be the last time. It smelt a little like sweat and the air was stuffy and cold.

She made her way to her seat and waited. She hoped she wouldn't have to explain her behavior to her friends when they arrived. More so, she hoped they didn't ask.

As she thought it was Sakura who made an appearance first.

"Hey, Hinata" The girl's face was strangely solemn and Hinata knew immediately she messed up. She had been thinking of herself. Sakura had been aiming for the top Kunoichi spot, the title she had earned but did not want. Unless of course it was in conjunction with rookie of the year. Guilt overcame here as she realized she had taken something of great importance from her best friend.

"Sakura, I-I am sorry for my behavior yesterday." She stood up with great difficulty to meet the girl halfway, she hoped she could recognize the sincerity in her voice.

"Don't worry about it Hinata, you won fair and square. Iruka said I got second. I ranked fifth in our class overall, so I guess I should be proud of that." Sakura smiled, but Hinata noticed it did not reach her eyes.

There were twenty-two graduates, most of which she didn't know. The children who were retaking the exams from last semester were in different classes than them. There classes focused on where they went wrong. They only saw them during times when they were to take missions.

Hinata wondered where Naruto ranked the graduates.

Hinata took her seat and let Sakura join beside her. It wasn't that she felt guilty for beating Sakura, as she had said she won it square and fair. No, she felt guilty for feeling so ungrateful, for wanting more.

She shook her head, deciding enough was enough. This could be her last time hanging around Sakura one on one.

"Sakura, what do you think the teams will be?" She valued the girl's opinion and wanted to hear her thoughts.

XXXXXXXXXXX

Hinata couldn't help herself as she avoided looking at Sasuke. He was the reason for her predicament after all. He came in and for once greeted them first. Hinata had no other choice but to say hello, all while looking at anything other than him. She could _feel_ his eyes on her.

She was acting childish and she hated herself for it.

She couldn't hate Sasuke for beating her, she knew. She just needed a little space. She did not like losing, and losing rookie of the year title just reminded her she couldn't let up for a second.

When her cousin walked in the edges of her mouth tilted upwards. She couldn't help but notice the whispers and glances shot his way. Neji was the rookie of the year last year and people kept comparing Neji to Sasuke with their eyes, she could see it.

Hinata was confident that while Sasuke was strong he did not hold a candle to her cousin in taijutsu. Even on her best days and Neij's worst she could barely scrape by with a win.

That was the difference of a year.

"Hinata-sama" Neji greeted her and waltzed past her to find a seat. She pouted slightly at the informal tone, but she understood. It was only in private between the two would he ever drop the suffix.

Beside her, Sasuke tensed up, no doubt affected by his appearance. Neji held himself in high regard, he was a child but he had a strong presence amongst his peers.

He demanded attention when he came into a room. Hinata found it to be the way he carried himself, it must come off as a mockery to others. His facial features were sharp and his eyes naturally looked to be squinty like they were in a permanent glare.

He reminded her of Sasuke, but he gave off a bigger "you're not worthy of my presence vibe.'

In her rush to leave she had forgotten her and Neji were headed to the same destination. They could have walked together.

"Neji-niisan" she greeted back, turning around. Seeing her cousin, that was more so her brother had lifted her spirits a bit.

Naruto walked into the room and there was something off about his appearance.

His orange jumpsuit was missing. Her eyes were large taking in the new outfit and how different it made him appear. He looked so official!

He wore black pants like herself, stopping a little before his ankles. Then there was his standard sandals he usually wore. His jacket stopped at his elbow and was tan with hints of a burnt orange in various spots. Underneath the jacket she could see a gray shirt peeking through.

Making his way over Naruto rubbed the back of his head in embarrassment, "So what do you guys think?"

"I like it Naruto!" she beamed, the truth coming out easily.

"You look like a real ninja Naruto" Sakura pointed out, nodding her acceptance of the outfit.

"Thanks guys Hokage-sama said if I was going to become a ninja I had to look the part. Bright orange isn't a very stealthy color ya know?" His cerulean blue eyes slid over to Sasuke, waiting for his opinion. Orange was Naruto's favorite color, so getting rid of his favorite outfit that just screamed 'so Naruto' must have been hard for him.

"At least we don't have to worry about you giving away our position now" Sasuke pointed out, motioning toward himself and Sakura. So, Sasuke too believed Naruto, and Sakura would remain on his team. Sakura had the same opinion.

"Argh, I would never!" Naruto growled back, glaring at the boy.

Right before the two boys could get into it several people walked in the room. Three of which she was not familiar with, and one who was Iruka-sensei. She sighed as the moment of truth came upon them, she wasn't ready.

Judging from their flak jackets they appeared to be jounin. Hinata was drawn to the beautiful woman with glistening black hair and piercing red eyes. She was simply stunning to the point it was overwhelming. She bashfully looked away, wondering if such a pretty woman was to be her sensei.

She didn't know if her self-confidence could handle being in her presence.

"Tumaru Kagami, Chia Maki, Momo Takami, and Aki Yurami, your jounin sensei is Kurenai Yuhi."

Hinata looked up suddenly to realize she had been in a daze. A quick look around the room made her realize several students were gone and so were two of the jounin sensei's. Now four others were getting up and Hinata looked on as they followed the woman out of the room.

Iruka coughed, "Team 7, er your jounin sensei isn't here yet. The members are Sakura Haruno, Sasuke Uchiha, Naruto Uzumaki ….and Hinata Hyuga." Iruka looked up eyeing the four children sitting together.

There was silence.

Hinata eyes widened in surprise, had she heard that correctly?

The silence was broken.

Her neck was grabbed by Naruto and her head almost collided with Sakura's as he moved them in for a group hug.

"I TOLD YOU. I KNEW IT! DATTEBAYO" Hinata sucked up the slight pain she felt at her sore neck being treated so roughly. At this moment that wasn't important. She was on a team with her friends!

Naruto jumped into the air fist pumping, happy enough for them all. She looked beside her to exchange huge grins with Sakura.

"Hinata, were on the same team!" The pinkette beamed at her, repeating the news. Sakura was surprised and who wouldn't be? She was a numbers girl, and the odds were never in their favor.

It was like a dream.

"Yes, we are!" She chirped back. She was so happy, honestly what were there chances?

Her excitement finally exploded into the forms of giggles as Naruto dragged Sasuke in for a one armed hug, holding up a peace sign for all to see. Sasuke's face morphed into a frown at the physical contact, but he didn't shake off the blond.

"Dobe…" he muttered as Naruto finally moved on jumping up and parading around the room.

She turned to Sasuke, "Please continue to take care of me."

The last Uchiha nodded "likewise" was his simple response. Hinata had her suspicions that he was more excited than he let on.

"Naruto I know you're excited but do you mind quieting down?" Iruka shot them a wink and Naruto cut his celebration early by taking a seat, though not before he announced to the whole room that they would be the best team ever, and to 'believe it'.

It wasn't until this moment that she realized Iruka-sensei had purposely said her name last for more effect of adding anticipation. Up until now all the names were said in alphabetical order. What a cruel yet harmless thing to do.

Hearing tapping noises she looked down the row at Naruto who was bouncing in his seat, his feet tapping against the ground. At this rate it would take days for his excitement to die.

"Naruto…you called it" she shot down to the boy, who responded with a cheesy grin. Yes, Naruto must have knew Iruka best of them all for he had called it. Hinata gave credit where credit was due. She wished she had trusted the boy's instincts more.

"Team 9 is Tenten, Neji Hyuga, Shikamaru Nara, and Ino Yamanaka, your sensei is Asuma Sarutobi."

As he announced the team a man with a beard came waltzing in sporting an unlit cigarette on his mouth. He had a neutral expression on his face as his eyes surveyed the room.

"Team 9 follow me." He spoke, already halfway out the door.

Hinata eyebrows raised at the odd team, and she looked to see who exactly this 'tenten' was. She could see a girl with twin chestnut buns stand up and move toward the front of the room.

Beside her Sakura whispered that she was the top Kunoichi of her graduating class, how she knew this Hinata didn't know. The girl had two scrolls placed securely on her hips, and she gave off a nice enough vibe though her eyes were mischievous, confidant even. Hinata wondered what the girl's abilities were.

Her eyes then went to her niisan who was already up and moving to follow the man, he was indifferent to the whole situation.

She could not say the same for Shikamaru. In her time at the academy she had witnessed the boy usually with one of two expressions. Boredom and calculated.

The one he had right now was shock. He had not moved an inch from his seat but he was up, and alert compared to moments earlier when he had been 'sleeping'. Beside him Chouji Akimichi had a similar facial expression.

They were not the only ones shocked. Ino-Shika-Cho had just been split up, this was something that has never happened before. Even the genius Shikamaru couldn't have seen this coming. Judging by his reactions he hadn't.

Chouji was Shikamaru's best friend so she understood his hurt immediately. In her situation she had been prepared to be separated from her friends, and while it did not happen she had always thought it would. Knowing didn't make the situation any easier, but it helped prepare you. Shikamaru had been caught off guard…he was not prepared.

"Wait were not on a team with Chouji?" Ino's voice sounded both relieved and irritated. As much as she belittled him, she had prepared herself to be on a team with the boy. Though she did not respect him. On a team where life and death could happen at any moment, mutual respect was a must.

No one answered the girl, so she simply shrugged and pranced out of the room.

"This is as much as a shock to you as it is to me. For reasons I cannot say the Hokage decided the Ino-Shika-Cho trio would not be together this generation. All I can tell you is that your parents agreed to the matter."

Finally Shikamaru was back, some of Iruka words must have temporarily made him accept this decision. He exchanged one hard, long look with Chouji, who looked as if he might cry any second and stood up shoving his hands in his pockets. Slowly he made his way out of the room.

The little genius mind was running a hundred miles per minute as he tried to think of why his father would agree to this.

Hinata considered the team that had just been announced. Her first thoughts were Ino and how she would handle her cousin. Neji wouldn't put up with her… that was for sure.

"Team 10 is still in use so… Team 11 your members are Shino Aburame, Chouji Akimichi, Kiba Inuzuka, and Rock lee, your sensei is-"

 **BANG**

The children in the classroom hurdled back at the door being forced open and hitting the wall. Iruka sighed and took a few steps back.

"HAHAHA where are my delightful little genin?" A man with a dazzling white smile and overall strange appearance revealed himself in the front. He had his arms crossed as he took in the room waiting for the children to reveal themselves. He was sporting a bowl cut and the thickest eyebrows Hinata had ever seen.

"That's our sensei…?" Came the disbelieving tone of Kiba as he took in the man in green spandex with an expression that said 'kill me now'. On his shoulder his ever present side kick whined feeling his master's annoyance.

Shino merely adjusted his glasses before rising and making his way down. The boy was as unreadable as ever.

Chouji looked on with nervousness, still saddened he was separated from Shikamaru.

Meanwhile lee's eyes glistened as he took in the man that was to be his sensei. He had a huge smile on his face and was entranced by every action and word that came out of his mouth. Eventually he moved bouncing out of the room following his team with glee.

Team 7 was left alone.

*Flashback*

"So, that reveals one of the teams Hokage-sama, what are the others?" Iruka-sensei asked truly curious.

"Yes, since your splitting up Ino-Shika-Cho what will be the teams?" Chouza asked uncertainty on his face once again.

"As you guys are aware I have decided against a scouting team. This is because I want to avoid teams that are overqualified and have one set of skills. They are sitting targets waiting for disaster. So, I will be giving each team at least one person with scouting abilities."

The occupants in the room waited patiently.

"One team will be Neji Hyuga, Ino Yamanaka, Shikamaru Nara, and the last is Tenten, one of the remaining genin." He waited for the unpleasant reactions, and Inoichi did not disappoint.

"You plan to put Ino on a team with a boy whose clan paid for his safety? No, Hoakge-sama with all due respect I will not stand for this." Ironically the man with the high blond ponytail had risen from his seat at this.

Beside him Shikaku Nara had a look of pure concentration, eventually his face fell. "Sorry Hokage-sama, I don't know these kids well so I'm afraid I can't understand your reasoning's?"

The Hokage prepared himself to explain. "There sensei will be Asuma Sarutobi" The Hokage listened to the favorable reactions of their sensei being his son.

"The Hyuga are bold but not foolish, they will not attempt something like that again Inoichi, and surely not with my own son who cannot be bought."

"Now for the reasons I put these four children together. Shikamaru is a lazy individual who puts a lot of faith in his intelligence. I dug back some of the files from the academy and while Neji's intelligence grades aren't quite on his level I do believe he Shikamaru find joy and a challenge in being around a mind that rivals his own. I want him to become a strategist that is unmatched by any other. He needs surprises, and it is crucial he understand that while he is intelligent and able to predict many things, there are still always going to be things he will not understand. For this reason and for him to learn his first lesson I ask you not to tell him Shikaku. Besides, I am quite curious to see what a motivated Nara is capable of, and this team will not allow him to slack off for a moment."

Shikaku Nara nodded feeding in to the explanation. It was sound after all, though he still searched his mind for any possible holes.

"Ino Yamanaka as of now is this team's dead weight. She has huge amounts of potential but being in an academy atmosphere has been holding her back from unlocking it. She is one of the main children who made me come to this decision. Being around Tenten, a serious kunoichi and kunoichi of the year will do well to motivate her, she is competitive after all. Couple that with Shikamaru and Neji she will understand that she needs to catch up and quickly. As spoiled as she acts, this is a team that will put her in her place, effortlessly."

"Tenten is a serious kunoichi that deserves a team that can match her. Neji effortlessly does that and she will see that Shikamaru does as well. I think in time she will grow fond of Ino and will take her under her wing in a way."

"Neji Hyuga as a child has respect that is already hard to earn. I am confident that he can come to respect Shikamaru whose intelligence is superior to his own. In addition my son is a sensei he cannot complain about, he has no choice but to recognize his abilities and what he could teach him."

"This team has a scout and a strategist, two important things within a team. Ino and Shikamaru focus around their clan jutsus, ninjutsu arts. Tenten is a weapon mistress who will provide a diversion in any case they need to retreat. This team could become a relief team for a combat team or a capture and interrogation team, perhaps even both. My son is someone who doesn't like to stay in one place very long… so this team will be good for him, it is one that will pique his interest."

Inoichi looked stumped but he still had a defiant expression on his face, he did not want to cave.

"Inoichi, this team is best for your daughter. You have raised her well, but unfortunately she has this idea that she is invincible, untouchable, and this team will humble her. They will humble her and Shikamaru. Having two teammates who have already lost their teams will be a constant reminder to them that this is not a game. That their lives could be lost at any moment. It's time for her to grow up."

The Hokage did not give anyone room to speak as he continued.

"Then there is the team I have prepared under Might Guy's tutelage. This is an all boys' team, they are eager children and they need a sensei who can match their endless amounts of energy. "Rock lee, a failure from last semester, Chouji Akimichi, Shino Aburame and Kiba Inuzuka."

"I want all the teams to be able to handle combat, but this team's focus will be search and rescue. They have two individuals with scouting qualifications to find their targets. For a while I had considered adding Neji or Ino, for the scouting ability of sight, but in the end I decided neither child would progress well in this team. Plus, I do not want to over qualify these teams as I said earlier. So, I want Chouji and Lee to adapt and find ways that they can contribute to such a team."

"Being a search and rescue team their missions will almost always be on a time limit. This means little rest and constant movement. One of the main things Guy promotes is stamina, and this team will need it."

"As one of the best taijutsu users known to Konoha Rock lee will have much to learn from Guy. Shino is impartial and well at controlling his outward emotions. Chouji is a kind individual and Kiba will at most just tease Lee. This is a team that he can flourish under and not feel like a burden. They will take him serious."

Iruka knew the last sentence was for him and his own concerns for lee.

The Hokage directed his next words to Tsume "While not exactly the type of scouting team you had in mind Kiba will still have bountiful amounts of times to use his growing skills. His teamwork with his partner and his physical moves will have many chances to improve. Training with a speedy taijutsu user, he will learn the importance of accuracy and timing, something that will teach him patience. He will fail a lot in the beginning, so he must learn to handle it well."

Patience is something the Inuzuka clan clearly needed, Iruka could see the look of contemplation on Tsume's face.

"Shino Aburame has much to gain from such a loud, energetic team. His social skills could admittedly use some work as he has scored low in infiltration rankings. There could come a time he might need to participate in undercover missions. Plus, as an Aburame he relies heavily on his clan jutsu. This is something I am also trying to change with the Hyuga, though they will see no reason. It would be quite a surprise to an enemy to fight an Aburame swift on his feet, no?"

"Then there is Chouji Akimichi. This team will be encouraging but not suffocating for him. As hard as it sounds he needed to be away from Shikamaru. They would have become burdens to one another. Chouji will gain his own confidence and understanding on how to be a shinobi under this team. He will form new bonds."

The hokage took in everyone in the room. This time around things were going to change, he hoped.

"No, new bonds will form for everyone."

*Flashback end*

The newly formed team 7 waited as hours went by for their new sensei.

None of them were aware of the white haired man watching their antics from the window.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

This was my largest chapter so far which is funny since it was supposed to be the shortest. So, please review with your thoughts, questions, anything really! The more reviews the quicker I update!


	6. Team 7

He took a quick glance at his watch noting that it was fifteen minutes after the time he was supposed to meet his new team.

He continued to look at the memorial stone thinking of his old one. He wasn't ready to put them behind him yet, and the Hokage shoving a new team in his face was just screaming for him to get over it.

The silver haired man bent his knees and stared holes into the stone. First was Obito to go, then Rin and by his own hands, and last his sensei. If you asked him which death hurt most he wouldn't have an answer for you.

All he knew was that the universe is out to get him.

He didn't worry about meeting his team just yet, he wasn't ready. They were putting him through hell without even trying so they could wait a few hours.

Maybe it had to deal with his own self-conscious inability to be on time. That thought was completely dismissed because deep down inside he knew that wasn't true. The moment he steps through those doors and sees those children, everything was real. He would officially be a sensei and he could no longer pretend as if he didn't have responsibilities.

So far now he wanted to enjoy what could very well be the last stress free moments of his life. He would enjoy them of course by reading one of his favorite novels. So he took one last glance at the stone, plucked out his book and decided today was a good day to go on a stroll.

A couple hours later his casual walk lead him to the academy. Though he wasn't quite ready to go in, so for the first time since being aware of his team he decided to watch the genin interact through the window, after masking his presence of course. It was cold enough that he could see his own breath, as faint as his breathing was so he had to wipe the window with his sleeve in order to clear up the fogginess.

He had been a little surprised to see the four sitting amongst each other and talking normally, then he remembered the third mentioning something about them being friends. His eye landed on the Uchiha and after remembering Itachi he thought it was good the boy had companions.

Another hour went by and he watched in mild amusement as they grew frustrated at his lack of punctuality. Some of them hid it better than the others but they were all annoyed.

The Uchiha who sat at the very end of the row had his elbows on the desk with his hands clasped together and face cradled on top. Kakashi could easily see the boy's frustrations as every now and then his eyes narrowed and his hands clenched tighter and tighter.

The Hyuga, with her clan's ever perfect posture sat back straight, hands neatly tucked in her lap. Her teammates could not see just how much in pain her body was as she went through great lengths to hide it, but Kakashi's one eye took in how her body flinched if someone got too close for comfort. Her frustration was evident by the frequent glances she shot to the clock by the door.

There was the pinkette sitting right beside the Hyuga. She was reading a book and if one wasn't paying attention they would think she was the least fazed out of all the children. Though Kakashi has been watching them for an hour now and she hasn't turned that page once.

Then there was the Uzumaki who didn't even bother trying to hide his anger. The boy could learn a thing or two about the art of subtleness.

"Ugh he's late!" Naruto, who had been previously bouncing about in his seat barely being able to stay still jumped up heading to the front of the room. He opened the door and stuck out his head, looking both ways for the jounin.

The blond actions set off his teammates like a chain reaction.

Sakura, the civilian slammed her book shut, fed up with everything. Her lips curled into a frown and she crossed her arms on her developing chest.

"The nerve of this guy, we've been waiting for hours!" She instantly agreed with the blond.

Well he should give them some credit he supposed, they had lasted this long.

The Uchiha remained quiet and the Hyuga looked to her other two teammates with concern. The blond and pinkette seeing that their other two teammates haven't voiced their thoughts turned to them expectantly.

"Hinata-chan? Teme?" Naruto asked fervently and Sakura gave them a pointed look.

Hinata glanced to the clock once more and spoke.

"It is rude to keep us waiting for such a long time." Came the soft agreement of Hinata.

Naruto's face looked triumphant and he gave a wide cheshire grin. He no longer needed Sasuke's input on the matter because the majority was on his side. So he waltzed up to the chalkboard and grabbed an eraser.

"Naruto?" Hinata asked uncertainly.

"This jerk has been keeping us here for hours, so it's his fault for being so late." he explained, as he stood upon the stool and cracked open the door a bit, placing an eraser at the top in the crook.

"Heh, serves him right!" Sakura hmphed as she let her anger do the talking for her, though deep inside she didn't think the little trick would work for a second.

Naruto smiled at her approval and turned to face Hinata. "Jounin are strong right? If he's as good as Hokage-sama says he won't fall for it!"

The Uchiha finally acted.

He stood up and unnecessarily shoved his hands into his pockets, roughly. All eyes shot to the boy who had been holding his tongue.

"This is a waste of time, I'm going to go train." The children looked at each other doubt written on each of their faces.

"It's better than sitting around to see if our sensei ever comes and falls for that right?" Sasuke threw a thumb in the direction of the eraser.

The two girls shot each other a look before shrugging and moving to follow the Uchiha. Sakura collected her book, and began walking down the aisle, side by side with Hinata, talking as they went. Naruto, not wanting to be left behind hurriedly put the eraser and stool back where he had found them.

Kakashi's eyebrows raised at that, they were leaving to go train?

"Hey teme spar with me today" Naruto demanded with a devilish grin.

"Hn"

Naruto shot his arms behind his head, interlocking them, pleased.

Kakashi sighed as his plans went down the drain. He had honestly planned on having them wait a few more hours. So he moved to hurriedly meet them before they left the room. Right when he got to the door it was sliding open before he could open it.

Nothing was going as planned.

He took in all the shocked expressions and a few moments went by. No one knew what to say.

"Leaving, when you were told to stay and wait for me in this room?" He shot each child their own personal look of what he hoped represented disappointment.

He needed to be in control of this situation again.

"A team that can't follow simple directions, how do I put my first impression? Well... I hate you" He spoke the callous words casually, sliding off his tongue like butter.

Hinata eyes widened in surprise at the words and Sakura looked away shamefully. Though the two boys looked at him with an expression of shock and the other boredom… but he could see tints of defiance on both of their faces. He didn't hold back the tiny smile that formed since they couldn't see it.

"Meet me on the roof" Was his clear order before he shunshined away, awaiting for the genin. In the time it took them all to arrive he wondered how he should go about this. He would keep things simple, and do as his sensei had done with his team.

"Introduce yourselves, blondie can go first" he decided looking to his sensei's son.

"Sensei, what exactly should we say?" asked Sakura Haruno shooting him what she thought was a sweet smile.

The girl was a mix of a teacher's pet and a wild banshee. Too bad for her the act she put on wouldn't work with him.

"Likes, dislikes, hobbies, and your future dream" he recited in a bored tone, waiting for Naruto to start.

"Wait a minute, you're late so you should go first!" Naruto reasoned, pointing at the masked man animatedly.

Kakashi, not feeling the urge to argue did just that. "My name is Kakashi Hatake, I don't feel like telling you my likes and dislikes…. I haven't really thought about my future dream, and oh I have many hobbies." He ended with fake cheery to see their reactions.

Sasuke didn't even appear to be paying attention.

Sakura had dropped her innocent act and was looking at him with disbelief.

The blond boiled with anger as if steam would pour out of his ears and Kakashi waited for him to explode but it never came. Hinata placed a comforting hand on his shoulder and shook her head at the blond, silently telling him it wasn't worth it.

The blond puckered his lips out, obviously annoyed by their sensei's antics but looked away. Kakashi looked to him waiting for his introduction, but Hinata swooped in to give the boy more time to calm down.

"My name is Hinata Hyuga, heiress of the Hyuga clan." She steeled her gaze to Kakashi, and held her head up in pride upon mentioning her origins.

Kakashi was surprised at the firmness in her tone, because up till now she had come across as a bit timid. He gave her his undivided attention as she introduced herself.

"I like cinnamon buns and my summon, Senshi. I dislike shrimp and crab, my hobbies are cooking, gardening and training. I will train to become as strong as possible so I can successfully lead my clan like none of my kin has before."

Kakashi made a mental note at the mention of a summon. He'd ask about that later. He frowned at her dislikes though. Foods she didn't enjoy wasn't what he had in mind when he asked for dislikes. The girl was smart enough that she knew that though. So was she getting back at him for his introduction or was her inner Hyuga trying to prevent him from knowing things she didn't want him to?

"I'm Sakura Haruno!" A cheery voice broke his thoughts.

"I like reading basically anything but especially studying medical techniques, and I dislike any food that's spicy" the girl stuck out her tongue in disgust and Kakashi's frown deepened. The girl had caught on to Hinata's little jab at him and hopped on the train.

"My hobbies are training and improving my medical ninjutsu. I'm going to become a reputable kunoichi and medic nin that can stand on equal footing with Tsunade-sama" the girl declared ending her introduction with a satisfied smile.

This was new. When he had first been told he would have two girls on his team he was skeptical. They were preteens and at this age girls seemed to be more worried about boys than ninja arts. It was nothing short of a miracle that he had been given two serious kunoichi on his team.

A medic nin for a frontline team would be handy, a luxury not many teams could say they have. He itched to know how far along the girl was already but he suppressed the feeling. He refused to be interested in this team…

"Hinata-chan and Sakura-chan are awesome, ne?" the blond's cerulean eyes bound him with his seriousness. Kakashi didn't give him the affirmation he wanted but the blond was okay with that. He smiled, and his eyes shined mysteriously as if they could read through him.

"The names Naruto Uzumaki, Dattebayo! I like ramen, especially from Ichiraku, they have the best! What I dislike? Hmmm, the three minutes you have to wait for the instant ramen to cook is the worst…" the boy trailed off thinking about it.

Kakashi's eye narrowed as he decided he had no clue if the boy knowingly fell in step with a similar introduction as the girls. Gauging from the approving smiles on the girl's faces, they didn't care if it was intentional or not.

"My hobbies are training, eating ramen, and spending time with Hinata-chan and Sakura-chan! Oh, and teme too if he's not being a jerk." Naruto shot Sasuke a look and was rewarded with a blank expression.

Naruto smirked and his deep blue eyes fell on Kakashi once more. He stood up placing one hand on his hip and the other hand curled into a thumb that he pointed to himself in a haughty manner.

"Not only are you looking at your future Hokage, but I'm going to be the best the leaf's ever had, Believe it!" it was spoken with nothing but the utmost confidence as he screamed out his dream to the village all while striking his version of his 'cool guy pose'.

Kakashi didn't know what to say to that. So he looked to the other children to measure their reactions. Judging from their expressions they were used to the boy's enthusiastic demeanor.

Hinata was smiling and chuckling in encouragement, and Sakura looked away from second hand embarrassment at the boy's loud declaration.

"Dobe" Sasuke rolled his eyes at the boy's dramatics.

Now, the Uzumaki had both his hands on his hips as he laughed hysterically, pleased with himself and his introduction. Sakura pulled him down and pounded his head right as Sasuke began his introduction.

Everyone tuned out his whines and complaints as Sasuke spoke, the boy staring off into the distance.

"My name is Sasuke Uchiha. I have lots of dislikes, but no particular likes-"

"Wait, I thought Sasuke liked tomatoes?" Naruto's confused voice turned into a whine once more as Sakura punched his head, again.

Sasuke didn't miss a beat at the interruption and kept going.

"My hobbies include training and learning new jutsu. When I am strong enough I will kill a certain man and once that is achieved, restore my clan."

There was a moment of silence as they took in the last bit of the speech. So this was news even to them, huh? Kakashi knew what man Sasuke was talking about, but it would seem as though his teammates did not.

Eventually the trio brushed off the introduction. Naruto awkwardly coughed bringing up a different topic, the girls voluntarily feeding into the distraction.

There was one thing he noticed with his team immediately. None of them had repeated the word 'dream' when talking of the future. They were just so confidant they were going to make it a reality. This was a team that would take failure hard. He could see it already. Would they be able to bounce back from it?

"Meet me at training ground seven tomorrow, 0600, don't be late" he warned, and with a swirl of leaves, he was gone.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Sakura tapped her finger along the book impatiently. She was having a difficult time reading since her mind was on how late her sensei was. He said to meet here at 0600 and not only had they all showed up early, but that was like six hours ago.

The sun crept to its highest point in the sky, and it was official. It has been six hours, so Sakura pondered about her sensei. So far he just seemed disinterested and rude. The man was so distant it gave him a mysterious affect. The mask that covered half his face certainly added to that.

Well, who cares? It would seem she wouldn't be able to suck up to him so she'd stop trying. Who her sensei was didn't really matter, what was important was the fact that she was on a team with people she wouldn't change for the world.

Sakura took a second to glance up to see Sasuke and Naruto continue their spar. It was lighthearted, as this was the fourth one today, each one with the same victor. She glanced beside her to see Hinata meditating.

For the first time she had declined when Naruto asked her for a spar. The girl seemed more tired than usual lately. Sakura's emerald eyes tried to look for any signs…and she found none. She couldn't come straight out and ask because that's not how they do things.

The four of them didn't discuss their problems with each other, it was their only unspoken rule.

It was a blessing when Sakura didn't want to talk about herself, but a curse when she was concerned for one of them.

So she ignored the very faint bags under Hinata eyes that she could finally see, and went back to reading her book.

Sasuke's affinity was fire so that came with all his fire jutsu he knew and would no doubt eventually learn. Seeing Naruto's clones get charred had gotten her thinking. She didn't know much about burns and how to treat them.

That needed to change immediately.

Sasuke had very good control and seemed to handle his jutsus with care, but mistakes happen. The time will come when someone will get burned.

She smirked on the inside thinking how it would be her to come to the rescue.

Never the less she found the knowledge of all the different degree of burns interesting.

To her one of the most interesting burns were ones made by lightning, ironically Sasuke's second affinity. The boy already had such a destructive force with fire and his collection of dangerous jutsus would increase when he begins to learn lightning jutsu.

A burn by an electric shock could be more dangerous than it appeared. This is because it barely showed on the skin that a burn had occurred and most of the damage was internal. She signed wondering how she would be able to examine the full extent on internal injuries.

Konoha was known as the birth place for medical ninjutsu because of Tsunade and the creation of her mystic palm technique. Though lately they have had decline in shinobi choosing to pursue medic careers. Finding an accomplished medic nin that had time to teach her was a lost cause. The good ones had busy schedules with high demands for dangerous missions, and on top of that their scheduled shifts at the hospital.

She wouldn't allow herself to settle for anything other than the best though. So for now she would have to figure it out herself. She had confidence in herself though, she would prevail.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

That very same day Team 7 was given their first, of many excuses to come.

"I stopped to help a nice old lady with her bags" Kakashi explained his tardiness with ease.

"You helped an old lady with her bags for six hours..?" Naruto deadpanned.

"Well, we had a nice chat too, you know you're supposed to value your elder's right? It wouldn't do for me to ignore her" he lied through his teeth.

The children stared and Kashi provided their patience with an amused eye smile.

"Hm, it's getting pretty late, we should try this tomorrow" Kakashi spoke giving the clear blue sky a once over.

"Wait, you're leaving already?" Sakura sputtered in disbelief.

Sasuke's eyes narrowed in anger.

"Sensei…?" Hinata drawled.

"HOLD UP, you're supposed to teach-" Naruto never got all his words across because with a nonchalant wave Kakashi was gone after telling them to meet promptly at 0600 the next day.

The children looked to one another and wondered how they were so unlucky to have been given the worst sensei possible.

Oh, and it was only noon.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Kakashi took his time as he waltzed into training ground seven. The time was 1400 and knowing he kept the four little genin waiting for over eight hours hadn't impacted his mind in the least.

Today was the ninth day he had done this and to say he was amused seeing their frustrated faces would be an understatement.

In the distance he could see Sasuke casually leaning against a tree with his arms crossed. The Uchiha glanced up once to take him in and pushed himself off the bark, sliding his hands into his pockets.

The boy's eyes narrowed and Kakashi noticed the subtle tension in his movements. He was on edge, but why?

Sliding his eyes over, Sakura closed her book (a little unnecessarily hard if you asked him) and stood up. She rolled her eyes at his appearance before placing her arms onto her chest on the fabric of her new clothing. It was new, he could tell by how untouched it appeared.

The very faint pink kimono dress with green hues matched her eyes and hair. Coupled with the dress was dark green spandex shorts that she wore as a bottom, the outfit complimented her girly style nicely. Luckily, the pink color was light enough that he approved of it for camouflage purposes. It wasn't the most subtle color nor was it very neutral but it would be fine.

Though the girl's hair could prove to be a problem…

Hinata who had been sitting cross legged stopped her whispering to the blond, who appeared to be sulking and they too stood up. From this distance his ears could not make out the low mumbled tone of her voice, and he did not care enough to bother reading her lips.

In the days that he's known the genin he would categorize this behavior as unusual. Every other time he's come across them at least two if not all of them were sparring.

"Yo" he held up his hand in greeting when he was finally directly in front of them.

He was met with silence, and what others would call a tense atmosphere, but he of course, was unfazed.

"Sorry about being late but I encountered a black cat-" The rest of his excuse was on the tip of his tongue.

"Kakashi-sensei" Hinata interrupted with a shake of her head, her face firm.

So, they didn't want to hear his excuse. Beside her, Naruto kept shooting him spiteful glances. He raised an eyebrow probing and hoping the blond would speak up.

The spokesman of the group finally did, though.

"Save the excuses sensei" Sakura held her hand up in a 'just, don't' gesture. His eyebrow raised further at this development.

Sakura coughed into her first before continuing.

"We've been thinking and have come to the conclusion that you don't want to be our sensei" she started.

Was it that obvious?

"So, we compared notes and from what we gathered the Hokage telling my mother as well as some other things it seems you have no choice in the matter. Like it or not you are our sensei, we are stuck with each other." Her voice was straight and to the point.

Kakashi's eye narrowed at how bratty she was and she took notice.

"We're not exactly thrilled at this news either sensei." She clarified.

Kakashi chuckled behind his mask and threw his hands up in surrender.

"This is all just a misunderstanding. I apologize if I've given you all the impression that-"

"Cut the crap, we're not playing your game anymore." Sasuke cut in, taking a calculated step toward him.

These children really needed to stop cutting him off.

"Yea, all the other teams could probably be ahead of us by now" Naruto finally gave in to speak his mind.

"I'm losing valuable time that I could be training with my clan" Hinata voiced, weighing in.

Sakura nodded toward each of their responses.

"As Sasuke said, were not playing by your rules anymore sensei. You don't want to teach us and we're not entirely sure how we can get you to…but we do have ideas." Her gaze turned mischievous.

They were so amusing. This was what the whole thing was about? They were confronting him, how cute.

"Ah and what are your id-" Kakashi's eye widened in pure shock as he looked to the kunai in his left hand that he had caught by pure instinct. He glanced up at Sakura who was already reaching behind her for no doubt another kunai.

Did she just?

He didn't have time to ponder the action though as he dodged a punch from a blond blur, he watched in the corner of his eye as the boy went tumbling to the ground, growling in frustration.

"Byakugan"

Once more he eased out of the way as Sasuke jumped in for a flying kick. He frowned at the move, it shouldn't be used so obviously. The boy was probably used to getting away with risky things with his generation, but now things have changed. Here on out things were life or death.

He itched to reprimand the Uchiha before he was forced to once again dodge. This time it was the dangerous hands of the little Hyuga.

What were they thinking?

He let the attacking go on for ten minutes more.

Seriously, how did they come to the conclusion that this would force him to teach them?

Distracted by his thoughts he let Hinata get into his guard too close for comfort. He was forced to grab her wrist and pull her, redirecting her body in another direction. He didn't mean to be so rough but he could tell he was by how she rubbed her wrist tenderly.

These kids were too small, too young.

He dodged Naruto's over extended punch and the boy skidded a few steps trying to regain his balance.

He urged his body against the natural reaction of wanting to take advantage of the opening.

These kids were too vulnerable.

With one kunai he effortlessly deflected all of Sakura's kunai and shuriken. The girl was smart, in using the diversion her teammates provided by attacking to her advantage. In mere seconds she was calculating and predicting where he would move his body next.

But it was not enough.

"Che" she smacked her teeth and her next kunai aim was off by a wide margin.

These kids were too easily frustrated.

His finger poked the wire in front of him without care. He had put it off long enough, at this point he was giving the Uchiha false hope that he hadn't noticed, and that was cruel. So he took a few moments to calculate the change in trajectory and he took the kunai in his hand and cut it.

His eye followed the line of wire, as everything changed and it took to new form. Down the line it unraveled and circled around Hinata's left ankle, she cried out in surprise as her foot rose in the air and she fell to the ground, her head breaking her fall.

"Hinata-chan!" Naruto shouted in concern, distracted he didn't notice until it was too late. Going down the length of wire another part caught around his wrist, the boy yelped out in pain. That wire was digging harshly into both the children's exposed flesh.

If he waited a little longer that could have been him. He made eye contact with the last Uchiha.

These kids were too easily outsmarted.

Even together, they were outclassed.

What would his sensei do? He wondered as Sakura and Sasuke faltered and Hinata and Naruto hastily moved to free themselves.

Finally free the group of four regrouped, coming together once more.

"Well that was unexpected" he chuckled, taking in their slightly out of breath faces. They were upset right now so he wasn't expecting a response.

"Your concerns have been noted and I suppose I should be honest with you all. You see these past two weeks I've been trying to figure out which of you I should train. Four is simply too much." He explained coolly.

"Now, I have an idea," he looked pointedly to Sakura and held up two bells in mockery. His sensei would handle it this way, right?

"Here I have two bells" he pointed out the obvious wiggling the two. "Despite what you think you know every genin team is given a test to determine if they are ready to become genin. This test has about a 66% fail rate. If you're lucky two of you will pass and two will fail, going back to the academy for another semester. If you're really unlucky then you will all fail."

"To pass and solidify your position as one of my two genin is simple, get a bell from me. If you don't, you fail."

Sakura opened her mouth to speak so he wiggled his finger in a taunting manner.

"Ah, ah, ah, I have permission from the Hokage. I will only accept the best as my students. Oh and did I mention you have until 1700 to get these?" the time now was 1430, they have two hours and thirty minutes.

The children tensed and looked to each other uncertainly.

Good, he's created doubt.

"Word of advice, come at me with the intent to kill if you want the bells, In return ill hold back for the level of a genin," he pulled out his book and pretended to read.

His attention wasn't on the words on the page just yet, he was waiting to see what they'd do. They had attacked him together so will this put a damper on their teamwork?

Each of these children have something to lose by failing. In sync with that thought all four children spared the others one last look and took off in the direction of the forest, all in opposite directions.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

This was not how she expected things to turn out.

Sakura dashed into the forest and after taking solstice behind a bush she looked around anxiously. When they had decided to settle the score with their careless sensei they hadn't expected things to turn out this way. Yes, things were not supposed to be like this.

She had finally become a genin and now that stupid masked man was saying she could be sent back to the academy? She weighed her options.

Hinata was heiress to her clan. Sasuke was the last Uchiha, and Naruto was the jinchuriki. She was at the bottom of the food chain here… no way she stood a chance by herself.

By herself? That's right, that stupid sensei of her's said nothing against working together. Two people could pass this test so her best option would be teaming up with someone, but who?

"Sakura" a voice whispered, and she almost, just almost jumped out of her bush revealing her hiding spot.

"Jeez Hinata you almost gave me a heart attack" She said as she turned around with her hand over her chest to see the girl.

"Ah gomen" the girl apologized as she came out behind a tree to reveal herself. When Sakura could see her face a bell went off in her head.

Hinata was the perfect choice. They had perfect chemistry together when they teamed up together in the academy. They were two serious kunoichi who deserved to be trained, not that she was saying Sasuke or Naruto deserved it any less than them.

For a second Sakura almost asked the girl how she had found her, what an idiotic question.

"Well, what's up?" Sakura asked instead.

"I wanted to get your opinion on this whole thing" Hinata spoke taking a seat.

"What's there to say, we have to get a bell or we go back to the academy" Sakura replied with an irritated huff. She wasn't irritated at Hinata but the thought of having to suck in her pride and go back to the academy because she failed.

"Hai, but don't you think there might be more to this?" Hinata tilted her head curiously.

Sakura sighed once more. "I think he was pretty clear with the rules, apparently he's some big shot jounin so he only want's two genin," she took a moment to glance at Hinata who was biting her lip in concentration. "So do you want to team up or what?"

"Team up, you and me?"

"Yea, two people can pass this test after all." Sakura pointed to herself and then to Hinata to indicate it should be them two.

"Sakura, something about this whole thing seems off. My father didn't tell me anything about a test…"

"Well maybe he just forgot or the Hokage told him not to tell you? Besides, four man teams seemed a little off from the beginning ne?"

"But if that was the case wouldn't the Hokage have just made 2 man teams to begin with?" Hinata pressed.

Sakura quirked up at that. Hinata was right, wouldn't the Hokage have just made two man teams to begin with? Her mother was told she would be on a four man team and the Hokage wouldn't dare lie to her mother, right?

"The village wouldn't create a frontline team with just two people, and why would the Hokage tell us were graduating early then send us back to the academy?" Sakura voiced aloud finally understanding. She looked to Hinata to see the girl was on the same page.

"Mhmm, The whole point of us graduating early was the academy having nothing more to teach us, so sending us back would be pointless. Besides, the village wouldn't pass up having a medic nin on an aspiring frontline team" Hinata added giving Sakura a small smile.

With those words Sakura was sold. Everything Kakashi had told them must have been a lie. Hinata knew she must have been feeling insecure about her placement on this team. That comment was her way of picking her spirits up, and it worked.

"Are we being tricked?" At this point Sakura's blood was boiling in anger at the notion of the masked jounin one upping them.

"It's very possible. Our sensei hasn't given us the impression that he's an honest person" The two girls took a moment to think of all the horrible lies they have been told by the man in the little time they have known him.

"We've underestimated him" Sakura voiced aloud.

"We have" Hinata agreed quietly. It angered the two girls to know they had been outplayed. In their minds they have developed an image of the man that wasn't at all favorable. They were under the impression that he couldn't lie well when he just wasn't trying. Not to mention his tardiness and lack of care toward them made him appear to be a jounin who didn't take his job very seriously.

"I guess we just kind of forgot he's a jounin" Sakura excused and Hinata gave a sheepish look.

"But," Sakura spoke up still confused about one thing. "Why is he lying? What's the point of this whole test?"

Hinata shrugged her shoulders and stood up. "I'm not sure, but let's go search for Naruto and Sasuke to ask them."

Sakura nodded to the plan but she had one more question. "So, where do we go from here?"

Hinata turned on her Byakugan and ran off, Sakura following. "Were not really sure what Kakashi-sensei's endgame is so for now we have to play by his rules."

XXXXXXXXXXX

This was the best part of the whole book, his favorite chapter. The main character was well on his way to experiencing his first threesome and yet…he couldn't focus.

It was nearing one hour until their time was up and yet none of the four little genin had attempted to attack him just yet. What was going on?

He had already decided that he wouldn't actively seek them out but he couldn't help but wonder what they were doing. There were four of them so he predicted they would pair off to attack him.

Though the Uchiha seemed a little stuck up so maybe he would deny help?

Eventually two figures emerged from the forest. He squinted looking at the two, and quickly discovered it was Naruto and Hinata.

He put away his book, finally he would get some entertainment. He was wrong though, he had thought that the girls would pair up. So he waited for the two to come closer.

"Well, this is a surprise" he spoke, as Hinata got into her gentle fist stance and Naruto scowled.

Then they attacked as one.

Kakashi frowned as he realized, surprisingly the two had good teamwork. Whenever he dodged, the other was there waiting. They were using the other as if they were another limb apart of their body.

He pushed Naruto and he skidded, Hinata ran up and used his back as a launching platform. Kakashi knowing she didn't carry any weapons threw a kunai at her lazily.

She ceased her airborne attack by focusing on catching the weapon. His attention went back toward Naruto who had gone in for a simple kick. Kakashi caught the kick and pushed his leg back onto the ground.

Then he kicked him on his chest, though not before Naruto held his hands up to deflect. Kakashi took a step forward but then stopped whipping his head left to dodge a kunai.

He eyed Hinata but his gaze went back to Naruto who got up, breathing with a bit of difficulty.

"Keeping up the hinge is tiring you out" he finally voiced. When Sakura undid the hinge he smirked under his mask.

These kids were clever.

Even toward the end when he realized it wasn't Naruto he couldn't decide if it was Sakura or Sasuke. These kids were using the fact that he didn't know them well to their advantage.

Sakura quirked an eyebrow as if wondering how her perfect henge was discovered. The answer was simple, it had been a little too perfect. Next time they should use someone with more chakra to pull that off, the real Naruto wouldn't get 'tired' so easily.

Though the only one with chakra control as good as the medic wanabe was Hinata.

"Naruto movements are more…over exaggerated" he tried to explain. The blond was more likely to run in without a plan, this Naruto was waiting and being patient. In the small time he had known them even he knew that much.

He put a palm on his forehead "Of course the two kunoichi would team up, you two have the whole comrade thing going on." He chuckled at the two girls eyeing him wearily.

"Cough, ugh ugh" he looked to Hinata who held her stomach and folded over, making noises of pure agony. His eyebrow itched together in concern and he looked to Sakura wondering why she wasn't helping her teammate.

The Hyuga picked herself up and got to one knee, but he still couldn't see her face. She held her mouth closed with her palm, looking up at him.

Was she going to throw up?

No, she released her hand and Kakashi frowned as her pale lavender eyes turned to charcoal. Understanding he was in danger he immediately used the body replacement technique. His body was replaced with a log that quickly went up into flames.

Perched safely on a tree, Kakashi looked on in amazement at the spot he was just at. Really, he wanted to whistle at how well Sasuke was with the grand fire ball jutsu. One second later and he would have been in trouble there…

Sasuke, had been pretending to be Hinata the whole time, and it worked. Kakashi realized with a frown he had never noticed. In fact, he was clever pretending to be hurt in order to go through the hand signs for his technique, again, without him noticing.

If Sasuke had better chakra control he would had been able to execute the technique and keep his henge. But he didn't, and chills went through Kakashi's body at the what if scenario.

Kakashi smiled, these kids were so amusing!

"HE'S OVER HERE!" Kakashi looked behind him to see Naruto, or perhaps a clone staring at him, giving away his location. The clone smiled widely and wiggled his fingers at him.

Kakashi took a shuriken and flicked it, the piece of metal collided with the clone before it poofed.

Heh, using Naruto's clones as a way to find him. No doubt he had planted his clones everywhere in this clearing for this purpose. That means they weren't planning to have Hinata use her Byakugan to find him.

So they were saving her chakra for something, but what?

The first to arrive to his position was Sakura. Looking at the girl helped him put the puzzle pieces together.

First, they confused him by making him think Hinata and Naruto had paired off. They had known this would confuse him so Sakura had made it obvious she was using a henge to disguise herself as Naruto.

That way when he caught on and it was finally revealed that it was Sakura and Hinata he would relax thinking he was a step ahead. Though really they wanted him to catch on. Sakura's whole purpose of not acting like Naruto was to draw away the attention that Sasuke was really doing a henge as Hinata. The whole purpose was to take away from the fact that Sasuke's henge wasn't nearly as perfect as Sakura's.

Though he was capable of acting just like the other girl. Really, he hadn't even noticed the girl wasn't using her Byakugan. Thinking about it now, Sakura would have probably been able to act like Naruto easily.

Then they had taken it a step further. It became clear to Kakashi that Hinata has been injured these last few days. She seemed to be fine now but he wouldn't raise an eyebrow at it seeming like she pushed herself too far.

So, who in the group took notice of Hinata being injured, and decided to add it to their plan? He believed the perpetrator was right in front of him.

"You guys are irritating" he smirked and the girl put a hand on her hip and smiled as if it were a compliment.

They had really outdone themselves. Four minds combined together were really better than three. Maybe the Hokage was onto something with these four man teams?

"Naruto, now!" She shouted out in glee. Kakashi, not sensing another presence tensed as the girl made her escape. No longer finding the area to be safe, he went after her.

He was lead to a new clearing. When he arrived the girl was in an academy fighting style. So she would take him on alone?

No, she wouldn't. Kakashi dropped from his position in the trees carefully avoiding all the wires and kunai Sasuke and Hinata threw at him from above. They had spent the time booby trapping the areas it seemed.

So they wanted him away from the original clearing all along.

He stood a bit apart from the girl, and was surprised when she attacked him first. It was bold and not like what he knew of the girl. Then he hit the girl and she poofed, leaving behind a kunai attached to a ball on the grass.

"Shit" he muttered as a bright light engulfed the area, blinding him. When had Naruto started using henge in combination with his clones? Was his chakra control even good enough for that?

He closed his one eye wondering if this situation was worth him revealing his Sharingan.

No, he would fight blind. So he kept his eye closed and focused on his hearing and sense of smell. He was jounin so it would be enough against a group of genin.

Besides, he was no Inuzuka but his sense of smell could give them a run for their money.

The first thing he heard was growling and snarling. The hairs on his back stood up and he realized with annoyance that Hinata must have sent for her summon.

He generously sniffed the air wondering what kind of animal it was. He dodged an attack and he concentrated on his ears to hear more.

"Byakugan" the girl he could hear jump off and land in the grass in front of him.

He was blinded but ironically he didn't rely on sight much. He took the initiative to engage the girl, but he stopped as a huge animal took up the space between him and her. More growling and snarling ensued.

"Water style: Liquid bullet" a gruff voiced flowed to Kakashi ears.

To the best of his ability, Kakashi began dodging the water bullets, simultaneously remembering where the wire had been placed. Really, her summon knew jutsu too? The girl had hit a gold mine.

Kakashi caught a shuriken in his hand, and threw it back in the direction it had come. He had almost forgot about the other children acting as support.

Using body replacement jutsu one after the other he had been successfully able to dodge everything Hinata and her summon were throwing at her.

It had been about two minutes. That was all the time they had and they knew it. He listened as Hinata disappointedly called her summon back, ending it.

Hesitantly he began opening his good eye, and seeing his view was clear opened it all the way.

Hinata was noticeably a bit tired.

Summoning was tiring on a child's body, even more tiring if said summon used your chakra to complete jutsu.

There little plan had failed, did they have more tricks up their sleeves?

Kakashi was still disappointed he never even got to see the summon.

"MY TURN!" Kakashi looked up into the sky too see hundreds of Naruto's fall from the trees. They began to spread themselves around him like wildfire. He had wondered when the blond would make an appearance.

So far he had been patient.

So now Kakashi prepared himself for a taijutsu showdown. Getting caught by one would mean getting pummeled by them all.

While dodging all of the clones Kakashi looked for the real one. The main clues he was looking for were what clones were hanging back and weren't approaching him.

Spotting a few that met his qualifications he whizzed through the crowd of Naruto's until he grabbed the back of the colloar of the Naruto attempting to retreat. Though Kakashi had been moving too fast to give him a chance.

"Gotcha" Kakashi threw his fist back in order to punch Naruto. When this little game had started he couldn't find it in him to quite lay his hands on the kids. Though, now he was a bit tired of holding back.

So, imagine his surprise as he felt a sickening pain in his shoulder. He kicked 'Naruto' in the back sending him tumbling as he jumped to the trees in order to examine his shoulder. From his view, he watched Naruto finally reveal himself as Hinata.

He was sick of getting tricked by these children. Kakashi bit his lip and he rolled his shoulder. He would have difficulty using that arm, especially for jutsu.

This was a huge advantage to have over him.

Deciding the area was no longer safe he went back to the original location.

There waiting for him was Sasuke.

Kakashi evaded the kunai and shuriken combo with ease. Though Sasuke predicted where he would dodge to and was waiting to meet him. Kakashi grabbed Sasuke's sandal that had been hoping to collide with his head.

Not deterred at all by his foot being held hostage Sasuke threw a fist toward Kakashi's face. That too, was caught.

Then Sasuke twisted his body in rare form of flexibility Kakashi would expect to see from Hinata. Kakashi was forced to release his grip on Sasuke's hand to grab his other leg.

Seeing Sasuke's hand reach for the bells Kakashi released him and jumped back. He looked up just in time to see Sasuke do a back flip and land safely on his feet.

Heh, nice try.

Kakashi disappeared from view and performed a jutsu that allowed him to travel underground. Right when he was below Sasuke he grabbed the boy's feet, pulling him under.

He had been looking for him everywhere except the one place he was actually at.

"Earth style: Headhunter Jutsu"

He looked down to Sasuke's angry little bobble head sticking out from the ground. He eye smiled, making Sasuke's frown deepen.

"There are more places to expect an enemy than just behind you" his first teaching words for the day.

"So, shall I finish you off?" Kakashi pulled out a kunai and touched the pointy top with his index finger. Threateningly he gripped the kunai and Sasuke pointless struggled, not being able to move.

Before Kakashi had the opportunity to show Sasuke he wasn't serious his back up arrived.

Kakashi looked on in amusement as Hinata and Naruto began digging Sasuke out.

"Something funny?" Sakura crossed her hand over her chest and her lips curled in irritation.

"Oh nothing, it's just amusing that you guys decided to work together." Kakashi put his hand on his chin as if trying to comprehend this.

"Well yea, otherwise we don't stand a chance against you" Sakura sarcastically pointed out.

Kakashi felt a strange surge of pride at them for understanding what the point of the test was. Why did he feel proud of them? "So let's say you get these two bells…who gets them?"

"We've decided to think about that later" Sakura batted that notion like it was non-issue. By this point Sasuke had finally been retrieved from his rut. With his wounded pride he slowly dusted himself off.

For the next 10 minutes the group of four continued to attack him nonstop. It was completely taijutsu based. Then suddenly they all backed away.

Kakashi smelled the air and instantly prepared himself to shunshin away. This was gas powder.

So before he could use his technique he could see four blurs moving throughout the black gas, using it as camouflage. Did they really think him having one eye was such a disadvantage? Kakashi decided to play it safe and he escaped the dangerous powder.

Not even a second later and it blew up into an explosion.

As he suspected the flour blur's he had seen moving were clones, trying to bait him to stay.

When the dust cleared he moved back down to see the four children huddled together.

So, what was next?

*BEEP* *BEEP* *BEEP*

All eyes went to the clock that announced time was up. Kakashi posture relaxed and he smirked under his mask.

"Damnit" Naruto howled as he kicked the ground in frustration over and over again.

The two girls went over to mend his disappointment.

"Naruto we did our best" "Yea, he's a freaking jounin" To their side Sasuke had his eyes casted down and fist balled into anger.

"Welp it's too bad but you guys failed" Kakashi shrugged his shoulders.

"You said you were going to hold back" Sakura snarled, green eyes glaring at him accusingly.

"Yea, that so wasn't at the level of a genin" Naruto drawled mockingly quoting his words with his two fingers 'level for a genin'.

Kakashi sheepishly rubbed the back of his head. Honestly he hadn't expected them to perform so well. So once Sasuke almost got him with the fire ball jutsu he had completely forgot about his agreement to perform to give genin a chance.

Fighting them was fun and he had gotten a bit carried away. But he wouldn't let them know that.

"Well I never attacked any of you seriously, I would say that's quite a bit of holding back on my part"

"BULLSH-!" Sakura clamped her hand over Naruto's mouth before he could finish the inappropriate word.

"Sensei, what's our evaluation here?" Hinata asked, her eyes brimming with hope.

"Yea, are you really going to send the rookie and kunoichi of the year back to the academy?" Sakura asked making a point.

Sasuke looked up wondering that too.

All of them were looking at him expectantly and Kakashi couldn't believe the words that were to come out of his mouth. Though after what they showed him he supposed they deserved this outcome.

Once he says these words he couldn't take them back. So Kakashi took a deep breath and looked into the four faces in front of him.

"You all pass. As of today you are all my genin."

His, they were his genin.

His responsibility.

He would do his best to make sure they lived.

Kakashi took in the four happy faces and for once before they could express their excitement he cut them off.

"Now for your evaluation? You have a lot of work to do." He spoke sternly ready to announce everything he's observed as of yet.

"Sakura, we need to get a handle on your stamina as well as expanding your chakra coils. Also, you hesitated a few times, you have good aim with shuriken and kunai but you went with the intent to injure and not kill. That's a mistake that as a shinobi you will not be able to live to regret. You have an intellectual mind and a talent in creating plans. We're going to do some digging so we can find a suitable fighting style for you. Your excellent chakra control will be useful when I get you started on genjutsu. I don't know much but I have a few emergency field medical knowledge I have acquired over the years. They could prove useful to you."

Sakura took the criticism with a grain of salt. She thought it over and nodded, accepting his judgment and plan for her.

"Sasuke, rookie of the year means nothing in the ninja world. Keep things simple, no more flashy, dangerous techniques. Your chakra control is decent but if you could have simultaneously executed the henge and your jutsu, who knows you could have gotten me. We will work on multitasking with you. Your traps with tools and wire are very impressive for so young. You're very fast so for now I can get you started on a couple more jutsu, until you awaken your sharingan. When that happens the real work will begin"

Sasuke tilted his head in acknowledgment. This was all he wanted, to be taught so he could grow stronger and finally reach his goal.

"Hinata, one of the main things I want to work on with you is speed. You're the second fastest here but other than that and improving taijutsu there isn't much I can help you with. I'll set up some things so you can keep up your flexibility and improve your reaction time. I also want to see that summon of yours, we can improve your teamwork. Hopefully by then I will have reached an agreement with your clan on teaching you jutsu. Until then maybe your father will concede to a weapon?"

Kakashi gave the girl a sympathetic smile, forgetting she could not see it. The girl nodded, not having expected much.

"Naruto, you're too brash, your main thing is being taught patience. After that everything will come naturally. Then there is going to be more work on your chakra control. Once you get a handle on that we'll figure out your affinity and get you started on some jutsu. Plus there's still a bit of tricks I haven't seen you use with the clones that could prove useful, if you want it to be your trademark jutsu you should know everything about it."

Naruto enthusiastically nodded his head finally happy.

"Overall I was surprised by how well you work together being straight out of the academy. I think you guys are onto something with the henge and mimicking each other antics. It could prove to be your most formidable group technique, we'll look into it.

"Okay, tomorrow we'll begin, meet here at 0600." Kakashi commanded, preparing to take off.

"Will you be on time?" Kakashi turned around to see Naruto's squinting his blue eyes, looking at him uncertainty.

"Well, if a black cat comes across my path I'll have to make a deter" he answered cryptically.

He sushined away before he could hear their complaining.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Hi guys it's been awhile! I apologize but honestly I wasn't feeling very motivated to write this chapter. Once I ended the last chapter I had been so excited and then I got so little feedback. It was my biggest chapter and ironically the least amount of reviews I have ever gotten. For now on the chapters will be shorter, and ill pump them out as quick as I can. Again, reviews really motivate me, even if their super short! Just please tell me your thoughts.


	7. Monster

A/N: Hello everyone! It's been awhile and I apologize for that but life has been a bit hectic. I actually had a lot of fun making this chapter and I'm really excited to put it out there for you guys. I just wanted to give a quick thank you for your continued support in reading my story. You guys really have no IDEA how much it means to me. Now, to answer a few quick questions.

Yes, anything counts as a guest review to me as long as you write something!

Some of you are a bit worried about Naruto and Sasuke's rivalry not being the same as it is in canon, but don't worry! Things between the two are going to start heating up soon.

I will be following some canon things but obviously I won't be telling you guys which, so stay tuned in for that.

Also, a quick warning, starting from this chapter things will be getting a bit darker. Seeing as how I am trying to portray a realistic Naruto universe where children are child soldiers and all. Here are some examples of themes I will be discussing in the future: murder, persecution, abuse, rape, depression, war, and sex.

The story will remain T-rated because I will never cross that clear boundary that M rated stories dive over but it's just a heads up. If you think that some of those things aren't for you then I advise you to stop reading. BUT I really hope you continue reading and give it a chance, because who knows, you could be into that kind of stuff.

Now on to the story!

 _XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX_

 _Every shinobi thinks that when it happens they'll be ready. But you can never really understand it until you experience it for yourself._

 _Hearing the haunting stories, even the most gruesome of details does little to prepare anyone for such a moment._

 _You are told all your life you will have to kill, and you accept it. But, you don't fully comprehend what that means until you do it._

 _You're ending life._

 _Nothing compares to hearing a sickening crack or blood squirting from a body and onto you, all done by your own hands. Watching life disappear from someone's eyes because you took it._

 _There wasn't much that could make you feel worse…less human._

 _Unfortunately he's experienced worse, and he just hoped they would never have to._

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"How is your team?" The Hokage asked casually as he unrolled a scroll and began to read through its contents. It was a diversion, to make it seem as though the question was merely for the sake of conversation.

Up until a few days ago Kakashi wouldn't have known what to tell his Hokage. Admittedly, his team was interesting. They were so different and yet…they belonged together. Kakashi didn't know how else to put it. They had handled the bell test well, instantly understanding their own limitations and unknowingly discovering the reason behind the test. They hadn't changed their plans of working together for a second.

"They're not so bad" he admitted quietly, holding back a smile that would ruffle his mask and the Hokage would see.

The Hokage smiled for a spit second and then it turned to a frown.

"Good, now then, it's time for what we discussed." He spoke, and Kakashi stood up to grab the outreached scroll. His face too turned into a frown as he took the mission scroll from his Hokage.

"Isn't it a little soon for this?" Kakashi bit his lip. When they had talked about his student's first mission he wouldn't have thought it would happen so quickly.

"The council and I are in agreement. We wish to get this over with as soon as possible."

"What am I to do after?" Kakashi feared for the impact the mission would have over the children.

"You will break them"

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"Naruto, I wasn't aware your chakra control was good enough for you to combine henge transformation with your clones."

Naruto, confused, squinted his eyes at the man he could finally say was his sensei. Right now, he lay on the ground panting in exhaustion, his teammates not in any better shape. Ever since the man finally took to training them, they were living a different variance of hell every day. Each day was worse than the last and mistakenly he always thought it couldn't get any worse.

Today, the man had them working on stamina. He had a cruel ideology of wanting to tire them out before they got down to the point of that day's lesson. Even he who had arguably the most stamina in the group was having difficulty keeping up. Often, he found himself unfocused and incapable of doing the tasks properly.

Couple that with the harsh, cold weather and their bodies were screaming out in pain. His teammates were in a dilemma. Training with winter protectant wear held back their mobility and made them sweat uncontrollably. So, they had to rid themselves of the garments for lighter clothing. Which, didn't protect them from the cold at all.

Naruto had a strong immune system, so he watched sympathetically as his teammates coughed and sneezed, trying to fight off a cold on top of their training. Their noses were hued in a light red to foretell the coming sickness.

"What are you talkin about Kakashi-sensei?" he finally gave in, trying to hide the tiredness in his tone. He put one hand over his eyes like a shield to glance up at his sensei without interference from the sun rays. Too bad the sun did nothing to warm up their bodies. Until spring it would continue to lose in its fight to the cold.

Kakashi put one hand on his chin. It's been a few days since he's given the children the bell test and yet there was still one thing bothering him. Naruto had shown tremendous amounts of chakra control when he had performed the henge as Sakura in combination with his clone. That was a level of chakra control he hadn't yet seen in the boy's training.

"You created a clone and then performed a henge to disguise it as Sakura during the bell test, correct?"

He watched as the boy's eyes sparked in recognition. "Ah that? Nope! Hinata-chan created the clone and made it look like Sakura-chan." The boy explained with ease. Once done explaining he laid back on the ground in a huff, breathing deeply and taking advantage of their 15 minute break.

Kakashi's eye narrowed. So that was why Hinata had been so tired during the bell test. Making a solid clone and then summoning her summon had been taxing on her body.

Sakura wouldn't have had the chakra necessary to do the clone in combo with the henge. Especially since the girl had already performed a henge earlier and maintained it.

Sasuke wouldn't have been able to do it either. The boy had already used the grand fire ball jutsu. Kakashi didn't know it at the time but they were also planning to have the boy perform another high level jutsu.

So, Naruto was a no go because he didn't have the chakra control necessary to do the henge, leaving Hinata up to the task. It was a shame.

Sasuke was just a bit over average in that department while the two girls were exceptional. Naruto's control was bad, but when Kakashi factored in the amount of chakra the boy had he supposed it should be much, much worse. So now, the two boys of the group needed to work on catching up to the girls who were the obvious superiors to them in that department.

And it wouldn't be easy.

Improving one's chakra control took a lot of time, patience, and dedication that the two boys simply didn't have. It would take a long time before they would start to see the fruits of their labor. But, he at least knew this about the two boys. If they didn't see results immediately, they would abandon the task in favor of something more worthy of their time.

Kakashi mentally sighed at the fore coming problem in the future before his mind produced another question.

During the bell test, why would a henge have been necessary to begin with? Couldn't Hinata have appeared as herself to face him? Or Sakura herself? Or even Naruto's clone could have perhaps gotten away with pulling the trick.

Kakashi eyed the four children trying to figure out their train of thought.

The clone that had engaged him appeared as Sakura.

These children were smart so it must have been part of their plan for a reason.

So then why did they send out a clone that had appeared to be Sakura engage him in taijutsu?

Taijutsu.

Kakashi did a quick chuckle to himself as he figured it out. Of the four, the girl was the least talented in taijutsu. They must have been placing their bets on him underestimating her 'clone'. They knew a clone of Sakura had the best chance at getting away with pulling the trick. They used a clone for the purpose of the girl not accidentally falling into her own trick.

"Your break is over" he announced to the four children. He leaned back against the tree placing his cold hands into his pockets for warmth. The four genin rushed to his side for instruction on what to do next. It would seem that him having them wait for hours on end had left a mark on them.

When he called, they came, and quickly at that. They would do nothing to unleash his wrath and increase the chances that their sensei would go back to his old ways of having them waiting.

He was of course, still late, but an hour never really hurt anyone. It wouldn't do well for him to be rid of his trademark.

He looked over the four genin looking at him expectantly for orders. Really, they were like puppy dogs and he could see their tails wagging, waiting for what bone he'd toss next. His training was unlike anything they had ever experienced at the academy but they were troopers, something he wasn't expecting.

The most annoying part? They never complained. Kakashi thought maybe it was because they realized they had practically begged for his guidance. They couldn't take back their words after challenging him.

His eye zeroed in to the most intelligent member of the group. Her luscious bubble gum hair was matted with dirt.

"Sakura, what kind of team is this?" he began, motioning with his hands for the children to sit, it was lesson time. Once seated the girl spoke her answer.

"We are a combat team, also known as a strike or frontline team" She nestled her hands together into her lap, eyes wide and ears alert to answer another question at a moment's notice.

Now, he looked Naruto in the face, "Naruto, can you tell me all the different kind of teams one could specialize in?" The boy scratched his face in thought before counting off on his fingers.

"Let's see, there's combat, scouting, infiltration, search and rescue, and oh! Teams that specialize in bombs" Kakashi nodded in agreement. There were many more teams than that but he could dive into those later.

"Good, can you tell me what the primary motives of a frontline team are?" He was back to directing his question to Sakura, but if one of the others wanted to jump in he was fine with that.

"Yes, as a frontline team just as our name suggest we stand on the frontline. We are the first to engage the enemy and often a situation as a whole. We are sent into a situation and not expected to leave until we produce results." Boom, unknowingly she just hinted at his whole point.

"As a frontline team you should be the best your village has to offer. What kind of results do you have in mind?"

Sakura for once faltered and licked her lips. Instead of giving an answer she opted out for an example.

"Let's say we are sent to do an escort mission such as protecting someone from a threat, if that person were to get injured in anyway, we've failed. That person getting to their destination completely unharmed reflects on how well our abilities as shinobi are. "

Kakashi nodded, it was a suitable and correct answer but not in the direction he was hoping to go. He would need to redirect it.

"As a combat team you will receive escort missions, but usually for people who lives are indeed in danger. The threat of their life or safety is always guaranteed to be there. Though, your primary expertise is often seen as elimination. It just so happens that elimination and protection intertwine. By fulfilling your job of eliminating all threats you conveniently kept your charge safe."

He took in the expressions of the children's unwavering gazes. They would understand everything soon enough. Sooner than he would like.

"To other shinobi you are seen as the best of the best. Your abilities are on the frontline for a reason, it means your village trusts you to get the job done. So, what I am trying to get across to you is that as a frontline team you are often seen as the least merciful and most heartless of all shinobi. We are categorized as unfeeling freaks. Often, grouped together with the likes of interrogation and experimental squads."

"Kakashi-sensei, what are you really trying to say?" Hinata asked. Everything he explained they probably had already come to understand on their own.

Kakashi sighed a bit in frustration. "As I said you're a frontline team. That means you act now, and ask questions later. If even for a second you think something could become a threat to your safety or your village, you eliminate. Better to be rid of it than for it to become a problem later. You don't take chances, we can't afford it. So, as a frontline team you will be surrounded by death, and situations that promise it. For that reason you will have to take life at a moment's notice and your kill list will always be leaps and bounds higher than your fellow shinobi. You will lose count, eventually all the faces becoming a blur."

"You're not ready for it, but it's going to happen anyway." He finally spoke bluntly.

He cut off Sasuke's narrowed eyes and opening mouth, most likely looking to protest. "You may think you're ready, but I can guarantee you, your not."

"Now to what brought this up," Kakashi reached into his flak jacket and pulled the very same scroll the third had given to him yesterday. He tossed it to the nearest genin, which happened to be Naruto.

The boy looked at it wearily but began to slowly unwrap it, his teammates closing the distance to take a closer look. Sakura and Sasuke were at his sides and Hinata crouched on her knees to peer over his shoulder.

"We've been summoned for your first mission, and because we have to leave the village walls it is automatically a C-rank, though the difficulty and pay grade is low." Kakashi shrugged his shoulders nonchalantly.

"So, training for today is done, go home, shower and prepare for the C-rank. We'll meet back up at 1400 to meet the Hokage." The time now was 1209, they had about two hours.

The genin began to get up one by one but before they could leave he called out to the pinkette before she left. Upon realizing the girl wasn't walking the three genin began to wait for her.

"Sakura, how do you feel about your first mission?"

The girl eyed him suspiciously before her face morphed into a pleased expression. "I guess I am excited, this is the beginning of our careers after all"

"What I was saying earlier, a lot of it was directed at you. As an aspiring medic nin you were cursed being put on a combat team. You see, those three are your priority," Kakashi and Sakura looked to her three teammates who were eyeing the interaction with impatience. They wanted to go eat already, and if Naruto had anything to say, it would be ramen.

"My priority?" she repeated.

"Yes, your life as well as those three will always be your priority. As a medic nin you live with the vision of saving as many lives as possible, but being put on a combat team you can't think that way. You have four lives you need to worry about, only when one of the four lives have ended, did you fail as a medic" Kakashi instructed pointing to the girl, and then where her teammates were.

"But if I can-"

"You have to remember quality over quantity, which is hard for an inspiring medic. One of the hardest things for your type of people is taking life when they have sworn to protect it."

"You don't think I'll be able to do it" she accused with narrowing emerald eyes.

"No, I just think that as a medic nin, death will hit you the hardest. Being on _this_ team you will take more life than you will save."

Sakura tilted her head downward as she took in those words. Really, was it just a childish dream for her to become a medic nin and save countless lives?

"You might have been happier on a search and rescue team" Kakashi spoke, tilting his head at the thought.

"Kakashi-sensei, why was I picked for this team?" Sakura was hating herself for letting her insecurities show through. She never felt like she truly belonged on this team.

Kakashi didn't have the heart to tell her that her purpose was a sacrificial goat, if the need ever arose. And surely, the time would come. But, he had accepted these children as his genin, his responsibility. If he had any say he wouldn't allow them to die under his watch. Any of them. So, he danced around the question.

"Sakura, if your teammates are precious to you then just coming home with all of you safe will be enough for you as a medic nin."

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"Sakura-chan, what did Kakashi-sensei want?" Naruto casually threw his hands behind his head. They had escaped hell so now it was time to eat!

Sakura noticed the interested look Hinata also threw her as she fell in line with the three. She decided she didn't want them to know the details of her conversation with sensei.

She avoided eye contact, "Oh, he wanted to ask me my thoughts on the mission" Naruto ate the excuse right up.

"Ehh, why'd he just ask you?" Naruto's face morphed into confusion. No matter how you thought about it that didn't make sense. Naruto chuckled slightly at seeing Sakura avert her gaze, and thus ending the conversation. A quick glance to his other two teammates who had doubtful expressions confirmed what he already knew.

She was lying.

So, Naruto smiled widely and decided to save his pink haired teammate. "What a stupid mission though! All were doing is picking herbs for some restaurant."

Sasuke spoke up, nodding. "Hn, it's a spice that isn't found in Konoha. Though wouldn't the shop usually get a large shipment through a merchant?"

Naruto nodded thoughtfully, uncurling the scroll in his grasp to take another look. Their mission was simple, about a hundred miles beyond the borders of their walls was where they could find the herb. It was a popular spice that this shop as well as many others cooked with. It was a necessity to make many of their dishes.

Naruto eyes ran over the words once more before he spoke his findings.

"It says they didn't get enough from their usual merchant" Naruto gripped his chin and whined a bit. He had always thought his first mission would be so much more exciting! Like, maybe saving a princess?

Hinata catching on read a bit more from over his shoulders. "It's not very exciting but at least we get to leave the village walls? Besides, the pay is pretty decent."

Naruto eyes ran through the amount of their pay for the mission and he nodded in agreement. Hinata was right, it was a good amount, enough to pay for his ramen for a while.

"Yea, it definitely beats D-rank missions." Sakura took a long lock of her hair and plucked it behind her ear.

In unison the four genin stopped in their tracks at the thought of D-ranks. Naruto quickly glanced to Sasuke, their last D-rank together hadn't gone very well. Naruto's cheeks heated up as the sound of Hinata and Sakura's giggling filled his ears. The memory of how childish they acted was nothing more than embarrassing for him. Not to mention how that very same day the two of them met defeat to the two girls.

"Hn" Sasuke shoved his hands into his pockets and sped ahead. Most likely he too was embarrassed.

"Iruka-sensei said that once we left the academy we wouldn't be getting many D-ranks, if any right?" Sakura asked after her giggling escapade had ceased.

Hinata beamed in response, "Mhm he said that we'd most likely be getting C-ranks, but our priority would be training. He said the village wanted to try something new with the genin."

Naruto left the two girls to catch up to Sasuke. "Teme, what do you think of our first mission?"

In the distance he could see the stall for Ichiraku ramen. He didn't even have to suggest eating there, they had all wandered in the direction.

"You guys are going on your first mission?"

Naruto and Sasuke whipped their heads to the left, and stopped walking. Which, irritated a few bystanders that had to change their course and walk around them. That voice, Naruto knew that bored tone anywhere.

"Shikamaru!" Naruto exclaimed when he could finally pinpoint the pineapple head through the sea of moving people. He found a gap and began to make his way through, excusing himself, until he broke through and could finally see the lazy shinobi.

Shikamaru was standing outside of a shop, leaning against the wall looking as bored as ever. Upon seeing the four he slowly rose his hand up in greeting. His slouched posture reflected his face, bored.

"Yo"

Naruto smiled cheerily, a peculiar light feeling taking over his body. He didn't know why he was happy to see Shikamaru, it wasn't like they were close or anything back in the academy. But, it had been a couple weeks since he's seen any of his previous classmates. He was curious to how they were doing.

Always one to measure the competition Sasuke narrowed his eyes in response to Shikamaru and answered. "We are, have you gone on your first yet?"

"Nah, our sensei's been holding out for some reason. Not that I'm complaining." Shikamaru shrugged and put a hand to his mouth as a yawn overtook him.

"What about the other teams?" Sakura pressed. The girls had finally caught up to them. Hinata bowed in greeting and Sakura realizing her lack of manners gave a halfhearted 'hey'.

Shikamaru raised an eyebrow to that, "Others? There's only three rookie teams."

Naruto thought back to when they had been assigned to their teams. If he remembered correctly other than his sensei there was five more and so many other kids in the room.

"Wait, shouldn't there be like four other teams?" Naruto asked doing some quick math and estimating. Not including Shikamaru's team and then Naruto's own of course.

Shikamaru sighed, in irritation or tiredness, or perhaps both. "Didn't your sensei tell you? Only three teams passed. The rest failed and got sent back, the percentage for genin failing is high, like sixty six percent or something."

What the children didn't know was that this year the system had been rigged so that three teams in particular would pass.

"So he was telling the truth?" Sakura asked to no one in particular. Her teammates caught on immediately to the 'he' and the 'truth' she was referring to.

They really didn't get their sensei.

Shikamaru didn't know what they were talking about, and frankly didn't care enough to ask.

"If you don't mind me asking, who is the other team?" Hinata cut in to ask. Her lavender eyes were filled with curiosity.

Naruto thought back to the many faces in his head. There was Kiba, one of his biggest rivals from the academy, did he fail and get sent back? Oh, there was Chouji too, Shikamaru's best friend, though he was on the same team as Kiba. He peered closer waiting for Shikamaru to divulge them in the information.

Shikamaru yawned again, "Team 11, which is Chouji, that weird kid, Shino and Kiba."

Ah, weird kid, Shikamaru must mean Lee, Naruto realized. Was he still his same bushy browed and energetic self?

"Did they go on their first mission?" Sasuke pressed further, impatience clear as day.

Shikamaru nodded, his face coming to a frown, then turning thoughtful. "They did, I don't know the details though."

"Why, aren't you and Chouji close?" Naruto asked, not taking notice to Shikamaru's uneasiness at the turn of the discussion.

Sikamaru kicked up some dust and avoided the actual question. "We haven't been talking much lately. After his mission I can't find him anywhere. I did see that weird kid, but he was acting funny, like…depressed. So I couldn't get anything out of him."

Naruto nodded sympathetically and it got quiet.

"Shikamaru let's go" A bossy voice flowed to the children's ears and the group turned to see a distracted Ino waltz out of the shop. When she lifted her head from her bag to look for Shikamaru Naruto held back his gasp.

Ino frowned at the presence of the newcomers.

Naruto though blanched looking into the blond's face, "Ino, what happened to your eye?"

She crossed her hands over her chest and sneered at him, not that he ever noticed. He was still wide eyed as he stared rather rudely at the gross, purple, blistering skin around Ino's deep blue eye.

"Neji" Shikamaru answered in response.

"Neji, Hinata-chan's cousin, Neji?" He asked still staring at the black eye. Really, he couldn't do that much damage unless it was on purpose.

"Hmph" She stuck her head away in a 'I'm still better than all of you manner' but the act lost it's affect because of her eye.

"Yea, they got into a…dispute of sorts…decided to settle it with a spar" Shikamaru's face and voice said it all. What the heck was Ino thinking when she decided to go along with that?

"Geez he must have been going all out huh?" Naruto finally peeled his face away from looking at the blond. This brought on a new question. How was Shikamaru's team doing?

"Nope, he didn't even use his gentle fist stance. Something about Ino not being worthy of it" Shikamaru explained with a wave of his hand. The group looked to Ino for her opinion on the matter.

"It's so annoying! How could he be that good? Him and that manly girl!" She marched over to the group of children to stand by her teammate.

"Manly girl?" It would seem Naruto had been reduced to the role of translator for team 7 as he voiced every question they were no doubt wondering.

"That would be Tenten, our other teammate" Shikamaru answered, in response to Ino's rude nickname of their teammate.

"Ah, so she's strong too?" Sakura voiced out, with obvious interest in a potential rival.

Sasuke took a step forward, his eyes sparkling with mischief, "Neji is really that good?" It was a question the last Uchiha refrained from asking Hinata. For obvious reasons the girl never disclosed details on members of her family.

Hinata didn't need Shikamaru's assurance. She knew firsthand how amazing Neji was, so if Shikamaru said their other teammate was good, she'd trust the harsh judgmental Nara.

Shikamaru frowned distastefully at the thought of their two teammates. "Their strong alright, and their always reminding us of how much better they are. It's troublesome."

"They're just a year older, they can't be that good" Sakura reasoned, the doubt clear in her voice.

"But they are billboard brow. I'd like to see how you'd fare against the tomboy, you wouldn't even last five minutes." Ino snickered at her joke.

"It's only a year, but their more experienced than us in every way. Our sensei is killing us trying to get us to catch up, it's a pain." Shikamaru complained, raising his hand to scratch his head.

"Come on Shikamaru, we've been around them too long" Ino rolled her eyes at the four and ushered Shikamaru along with a light push and with a muttered 'troublesome' they were on their way.

For a few moments Team 7 was silent.

At one point their eyes all wandered to the sign on top of the shop that Ino had walked out of.

It was a weapons shop.

"Hey teme"

"What dobe?"

"Ino didn't even acknowledge you" Naruto pointed out in disbelief. Back in the academy it was always Sasuke this or Sasuke that. Just now, he was barely spared a glance.

"Hn" Sasuke agreed, quite pleased with the revelation. Sakura and Hinata shot each other secret smiles and the group was off, walking toward the ramen stand.

Perhaps all the rookies were changing for the better?

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"What's got you so down?" Naruto looked up from his seat at the counter to see old man Teuchi with a face of concern. Beside him were empty seats as moments before his teammates had all left to go prepare for their mission.

"I'm on a frontline team" Naruto finally included the chef of the ramen stand to his reason of misery but it only prompted confusion from the old man. With his understanding of himself and the opinion of those around him he knew for a long time he would most likely be on a frontline team. It wasn't until today and this very moment when he finally had time to pick apart his sensei's speech from earlier did this fact start to bother him.

"So that means you're going to be facing all the bad guys' right, so you'll be a hero?" At Naruto's silence a frown marred Teuchi's face, "Help an old man out, what's the problem?"

"Kakashi-sensei said that frontline teams have the worst reputations. Their known as heartless, the less human of the bunch. I-I don't know why this bothers me so much." He lied through his teeth, adding the last bit as an afterthought. He already felt less human than his peers, thanks to the beast in his guts, so would being on this team make him feel even worst about himself?

He spent his whole childhood hating himself, he knew he couldn't go through that again.

"Well, what did you become a ninja for?"

His answer came immediate, "So that I can become Hokage, and have everyone recognize me, for me" Naruto gave the man a once over, he was one of the first people he had told his dream to, so he knew this.

"Is that your only reason?"

Naruto responded with a quizzical look. No one ever questioned his reasoning for wanting to be a ninja before. Of course they were skeptical but no one had dared spoken their doubts about his dreams aloud.

"Yes" he answered simply.

"Really, because in the time I've known you I have come to know quite a lot about you. You're a selfless person Naruto, so I find it hard to believe your dream is just for your own gain." The man placed down a dish he had been drying to face him fully and give his undivided attention.

Naruto contemplated that for just a moment.

"I'm a monster" he spoke aloud for not the first time in his life, bringing up a hand to halt Teuchi's coming protest.

As he continued his voice was dull, dark almost, "I know what I am, very well. I also know no one blames me for it but I can't help this anger in myself. I-I don't know. I feel some sense of blame for what the fox did, all the heartbreak it's brought everyone."

"I think you have your answer then." Teuchi gave a sad smile to hear how Naruto felt. He was after all the closest father figure Naruto had in his life.

Naruto nodded, "I want to help people, and I want to bring as much happiness to the world as possible" He smiled at finally being able to speak his true dream. Being Hokage would put him at the top of the top. He could make the decisions that would make people lives the easiest.

"That's a noble dream of yours" The old man complimented.

Naruto frowned as another thought came about.

"But Kakashi-sensei said we eliminate all possible threats. He said we can't afford to take chances. I don't think I'll be too sad at killing a bad guy but what if I choose wrong? What if I hurt someone good? Or what if they are a bad guy with potential to be good?"

"I don't see any harm in giving a bit of trust. The world needs more people like you, Naruto. All it takes is a bit of faith, not everyone is out to get you."

"So I should…?" He drawled out.

"Trust your gut, it's never wrong" Teuchi reasoned, with a frim nod. Going into the back to probably make more delicious ramen.

Naruto gave a lopsided grin to the solid advice. He felt better about the situation now.

"Thanks old man!" he shouted after him, voice full of life once more.

Then, Teuchi flipped the curtain to reveal a steaming bowl of ramen in his hand. When the bowl was planted directly in front of him his eyebrows dipped in confusion.

"Oh, I didn't order this" Naruto halfheartedly spoke up. He didn't plan on eating another bowl but as the yummy goodness that was miso ramen filled his nostrils he knew he could certainly make room.

Old man Teuchi winked, "It's on the house."

That was all Naruto needed to hear to dig in with a big grin.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Sasuke sat alone in his apartment on his bed, laid back and eyes on the ceiling. His gaze shifted to the clock, there was still a lot of time till he was to report to the Hokage tower. Next his eyes shifted to the plain walls and finally back to his ceiling. With a sigh he got up, his mattress squeaking under the loss of weight. His bare feet plopped along the floor as he walked through darkness to his dresser.

He picked up the picture frame that was face down. His thumb planted firmly on the right hand corner, conveniently covering a face that brought him nothing but anger. The background in the picture was a light brown, the occupants were a man, a woman and child.

His eyes went first to the child in the picture, and he frowned at the smile that graced the child's face. At that time he had no way of knowing how his life would turn out.

There was the man in the photo, he had his arms crossed and a look of pure boredom. As if the photo wasn't worth his time, but that shouldn't be surprising because anything having to do with family had never seemed worth his father's time. He had been the Uchiha clan's leader first, the head of police second, husband third and somewhere down on the bottom of the list he was a father. He could never meet the man's expectations, but when he was younger he liked to believe his father had loved him in his own strange way.

The woman was a dark beauty with pale, fair skin, her features small and delicate. Her hair was long, dark, and glossy and there was a gentle smile upon her face. Her smile depicted how kind of a person she had been, and as a result, a good mother who did nothing but emit love. He had faint, but fond memories of being small and weaving his tiny toddler hands through her hair, mesmerizing by the silkiness. He would giggle and she would smile and join in on his laughing escapade.

He took a deep breath to prepare himself, and peeled his thumb off the final person in the picture that had been hidden.

His brother.

"What does it mean Itachi?" he asked, voice hissing with venom.

"Why were you crying?" he demanded as the images from his nightmare came to the surface of his mind.

"ANSWER ME!" anger boiling within at getting no response. He picked up the picture frame and with a heavy toss threw it into the nearest trash can.

With a huff he picked up his bag and left the bedroom with a slam.

"It doesn't matter why, you're a monster" he sneered to himself.

Though before he left the apartment the picture frame was planted back in its former spot.

He just couldn't throw the damn thing away.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"….and we should return before dusk" Hinata finished in her brief explanation of her mission to her father. She was antsy, in a rush to go because at this rate she would be late.

"Very well, you're dismissed."

In her haste to leave she didn't exit properly.

What she should have done, was carefully back away facing her father, knees and back bent in respect and her gaze down casted. No, what we she did was stood to her full height, and turned her back on her father.

She froze and sucked in her breath at the immediate notice of her mistake. Her veins grew cold as she waited for her father's reaction.

"Red and yellow…our clan's founders chose those colors because they contrast well against cream, no?" Her father's calm voice broke through the silence in the office. Hinata waited for him to continue.

"Its purpose is simple, warn anyone in pursuit that if they continue they will face a Hyuga in battle. Were called monsters, and yet we offer our enemies mercy they will not take. It's up to your discretion and what is best for the clan if you allow an enemy in pursuit the right to flee. Though if you do, that is the _only_ mercy you are to ever give an enemy Hinata" her father instructed.

Hinata paused at the hint of pride in her father's voice. It was always there when he talked about the clan. It took but a moment for Hinata to understand what he was referring to. The bold clan crest that lay in the center of the back of her kimono top. It planted itself there proudly, blazing like the hot sun that was her clan's name. One would literally have to be blind to say they could not see it, no matter how far away.

"Hai chichioya-sama"

'A simple warning' she mouthed. Her clan had nearly 360 degree vision, more than likely they were already aware of any enemy in their midst. Nothing Hyuga do is ever without careful thought and planning.

She opened her ears to hear more of her father's words.

"An enemy who approaches you anyway, despite being aware you are Hyuga is either a fool, or a strong foe worthy of being defeated at your hands, remember that Hinata."

She nodded distractedly. A fool or worthy. They either didn't know what they were getting themselves into or were well prepared to face her in battle. Those were the two kinds of opponents she would face the rest of her life.

Hinata tilted her head so she could see a fraction of her father's face out of the corner of her eye. Her only regret was that from her position she couldn't see the clan insignia he was so proudly staring at. Though the spot on her back was where it belonged, where anyone who dare challenge her title as Hyuga, master of taijutsu arts, would see.

"Red, yellow, and cream," her father repeated. "It suits you well Hinata"

In an instant her cheeks inflamed and with a wobbly bow and words of gratitude she made her way out her father's office. Once out she let out a sigh of relief. Her father hadn't reprimanded her for her lack of manners! He even complimented her!

It seemed she didn't make a mistake in choosing to wear her kimono.

Her father approved, and that was all that mattered.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Shuriken, kunai…check, oh wait, where's my medical kit?" Sakura wandered about her modestly sized bedroom looking for the small box full of basic medical supplies. When she found it she neatly placed it inside of her backpack that she was bringing on the mission.

Finally satisfied with what she's decided to pack she clasped her hands together and glanced to the clock.

"and just in time too"

 **Knock, Knock**

Came the soft poundings to her door. Upon allowing her mother entrance to her room, she looked up into her teary eyed face. The years have been tough on her, evident by her wrinkles that shouldn't have come so early in her life.

Sakura offered her a grin, and was instantly drawn in for what should have been a tight momma bear hug.

But her mom was frail, her bones weak, and her grip even weaker. When her father died her mother just let herself go. Her body was deteriorating at an alarming rate and it terrified her.

Finally, her mother pulled away, leading her to sit on top of her bed. Her mother lay one hand around her shoulder in a simple embrace. She kissed her daughters temple once before running her hand through Sakura's delicious bubblegum hair.

Sakura said nothing and lay her head against her mother's chest, enjoying the hand running through her scalp. Then her mom began to hum a wonderful tune, and she felt herself beginning to drift-

 **Cough** , **Cough**

Sakura wrenched herself back to take a look at her mother's face. Her mom's face was flushed as she continuously let out cough after cough. "Mom…?" Sakura asked uncertainly, with a trace of worry. She ignored her mother's hands waving off her concern as her coughs turned more violent.

She scooted closer and placed a comforting hand on her mother's back, patting lightly and finally it ceased. Her mother smiled, though it didn't reach her eyes, "You know, you used to be a scardy cat" she teased lightly.

Was she crazy?

Sakura narrowed her eyes at the change in topic. Was her mother really going to force her to pretend that didn't just happen? She opened her mouth to question her mother, but her mom just continued.

"You never wanted to sleep in your bed. You were convinced that a monster was under it" came the soft voice of her mother. Sakura paused her urge to blatantly question her and decided to listen.

"Then your dad would come and check under it and he would even force you take a peak. Only he could convince you that there were no monsters under there. He always made sure you wouldn't get eaten up." Her mother smiled and she had a faraway look in her eyes, as if she was reliving a moment.

"But he's gone" came the unintendedly hurtful remark from Sakura. Noticing her mistake she immediately shot her mom a sympathetic frown. It was her mom though, so she understood. Sakura had always been a realist. She couldn't do these kinds of talks and not look at things from an intellectual point.

She couldn't live in a fairytale that didn't exist.

"Mhm, he's gone, and now you're all big and strong. He'd be really proud of you, my little cherry blossom" Her mother nestled her once more for good luck and Sakura couldn't hold back a smile.

She stood up, walking toward the door, though not before saying her goodbye's to her mother still sitting on her bed.

"Good bye mom"

"Good bye hunny" She opened the door-

"Sakura" she turned at the mention of her name. Seeing her mom in her room, with her leaving just didn't sit right with her for some reason. She looked so small in that moment, like it wasn't right to leave her alone.

Like it was a mistake.

"The real monsters don't live under your bed, so come back home safe, okay?" Sakura nodded hearing her mom's desperation. She feared she was all that kept her mother going these days. And soon, she wouldn't be enough. Would she return and her mother no longer be waiting for her?

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Team 7 stood at the gates of Konoha preparing to leave for their first mission. There were many thoughts and emotions swirling within each child.

After all it was the beginning of a new chapter, the next step to their lives as shinobi.

Naruto was fearful.

"I've never left the village before" Naruto admitted quietly as he took in the massive gates that slowly opened in preparation for their departure. His deep blue eyes were tinted with uncertainty. For once he left these walls that kept him safe, there was no turning back. From here on out anything seen was new territory to his mind that knew nothing but the leaf.

For Sakura it was hesitation.

When her father left these walls he never returned. Was she destined to succumb to the same fate? She gripped the small sack attached to her back tightly. No, she's come too far to turn back now. She would prove Kakashi-sensei wrong, she would become a medic nin that is capable of saving countless lives.

"Me neither Naruto, but, we can do this" Sakura steeled her face and awarded Naruto with her most confidant smile.

For Sasuke it was anticipation.

"Hn" he agreed to Sakura's declaration. Somewhere outside these walls there was Itachi. The fact that he was leaving on his first mission meant he was that much closer to closing the gap. For Sasuke this mission was the first step toward his goal, and he could hardly wait. Plus, he supposed, that he'd rather have the three of them on his team helping him than anyone else.

For Hinata it was determination.

Lately she was failing her clan and not living up to the expectations. There was chattering going on and she could feel their stares. All eyes were on her every move, waiting for a slip up. She had already lost the respect she worked so hard to gain so now she was on the path of redemption.

"I know we can do this." was her input as she looked forward to the view of what lay behind the opened gates.

It was the unknown.

For here on out it was anyone's guess what they would encounter, what they would go through.

Naruto gave a relieved smile, and Team 7 exchanged comforting glances with each other. They were a team, and they would lean on each other for support.

They were in this together.

"Cough, cough" The group of four children looked behind them to see Kakashi-sensei with an amused eye smile.

"Are we ready?" He asked, not mentioning the moment he had just broken up. He rubbed his gloved hands together ready to get this party started.

"Good, well we haven't gone over formations but a simple diamond should suffice" He grabbed his chin in thought.

"Naruto, you'll take up the rear, Sakura and Sasuke the sides, and Hinata will be the point." Naruto nodded immediately. Hinata had her dojutsu so it made the most sense for her to be at the front.

"Good, then let's go"

XXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Are we close?" Naruto piped up looking toward his teammates. They've been walking for hours and right now he was bored. He tried to settle his growing unease by taking in the scenery, but it did little to distract him.

They were passing the same boring trees. The same boring bushes. The same boring grass and flowers. And walking the same dusty trial, it all appeared the same to him.

"Soon" Sakura repeated, her attention not on him. It was the same word she used every time Naruto asked the same question. Naruto sulked as she looked to the map then looked up squinting her eyes.

"Hinata" Sasuke instructed from in front of him. Naruto looked to Hinata who nodded in understanding and activated her Byakugan. After a few minutes her bulging eyes went back to normal and she turned to the group.

"There is no one" she informed, and everyone nodded happy at the news. That was Hinata's job, to put her eyes to good use and check their surroundings. Also, to make sure they were going in the right direction.

"Up ahead, were going to diverge from the path" Sakura announced, her green eyes still on the map. That was her job, navigation.

Kakashi, that no good sensei of theirs had left them on their own for the mission, but not without parting words…..

 ***Flashback***

"Wait, Kakashi-sensei where are you going to be in the formation?" Naruto pointed out shuffling his blond locs.

"Me? This isn't my mission, so why should I participate?" Kakashi responded with a mysterious eye smile and shrug of his shoulders.

"So, you won't be here…to make sure we don't mess up and stuff?" Sakura asked hesitantly.

"Yep!" He exclaimed with glee. "I suppose I'll be around, but I won't lift a finger for this mission"

"I don't get it" Naruto finally admitted, his teammates quietly mentioning they didn't either.

"Since this is your mission I won't help or instruct you guys. You have all the material you need to do this on your own. My job as a sensei is to teach you but when it comes to missions I back off unless you guys are actually in real danger" he explained.

"B-but it's our first mission" Sakura protested, the confidence she had been feeling at leaving the village diminishing quickly.

"Sensei, do all the other teams do it this way too?" Hinata asked eyeing him with the distrust he was getting used to seeing in all of his genin faces. Really, they questioned him a lot, and he supposed in a way it was smart of them not to.

Trusting someone blindly in the ninja world was equitable to suicide.

"Sounds like you're just lazy" Sasuke inputted with a frown. This change in plans didn't affect him. He would get this first mission done with or without the help of his sensei. In fact, now that he thought of it, he'd prefer to do it without their sensei's help.

"Well, since it's your first mission ill gift you guys with some words of advice." Kakashi reached into his pouch and pulled out a scroll, throwing it, and watching as the blond knuckle head caught it.

"It's a map, have the person best at reading maps handle navigation." With a deliberate frown, Naruto took one last glance at the scroll before handing it off to Sakura. She was good with that kinda stuff.

Kakashi turned to Hinata, "You're the point for a reason, take advantage of your eyes, they can be the difference between life and death for your team." Hinata nodded determinedly at her role.

"Hai sensei" she wouldn't allow something to happen because of her negligence.

"Remember not all threats are shinobi. If it could potentially hurt you, your team, a civilian, or your village in anyway in the future, then it is to be eliminated. That is an order." Kakashi's eye was no longer smiling and the four genin could hear the seriousness in his voice. He held them down with his glare almost like he was waiting for something.

It was Sakura who understood first. She took a step toward her sensei and with hardened emerald eyes acknowledged what he said. "Hai sensei" she would prove his prediction of her wrong.

The rest of the children followed her lead, their voices becoming an echo.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"We found it!" Naruto shouted out bouncing past the bushes and into the clearing. His cerulean saucers took in the small clearing with a bit of awe. For everywhere he looked there were beautiful flowers of any color imaginable. He took out his basket to collect the herbs in and bended down to pluck the spice from the earth.

"No Naruto, not that one" he looked up confused as Sakura held up one for reference. He squinted his eyes between the two, looking for the difference.

"We need the galamara plant. If you look closely you can spot the reddish specks on it. What you have is something entirely different, but nearly identical in appearance." Naruto peered closer at the flimsy, stringy leaf and finally took notice. The difference between them was small, but he could see it.

Admittedly, he knew little about plants and wild life, but it seemed as usual Sakura had quite an arsenal of knowledge in this department at her disposal.

"Ahhhh" he cooed out in amazement. So this little tiny herb made food taste amazing?

For the next thirty minutes the group silently picked the plants and collected them, everyone taking care of their own little space. Naruto looked at his half full basket, a tick forming at his forehead. His gaze took in his designated area and he couldn't find any more plants with red specks.

He irritably blew a loc of hair that had fallen into his field of vision. Around him were crushed plants that he had been too rough with when pulling. They were no longer suitable to be taken back, the shop wouldn't accept them. Being gentle with a plant is hard he realized as he looked at his calloused hands.

He had to fill up his basket though. So he stood up to his full height, dusted his hands off and took in his surroundings. He could see an opening past the clearing they were currently in, maybe it lead somewhere?

"I'm going to find more plants" Naruto announced.

"Would you like some help?" Hinata asked, eyes all doe like. She had ceased her movements to see if he wanted company even though she still had her own basket to worry about. He didn't want to trouble her though.

"No thanks Hinata-chan, I got this!" he said as he threw his basket on his back and offered her a grin so she wouldn't worry.

"Don't wander" came Sakura's distracted advice. She was in heaven. She had filled her basket a long time ago, and now she was busy inspecting all the plants in the area. Everything was so new to her, a lot of this stuff couldn't be found in the village, but she's read about it.

"Yea, don't get lost dobe" came Sasuke's sarcastic order, which Naruto responded to with a flick of his tongue.

Then he was off….

…and he felt like he had been wandering forever.

Not this one.

Not that one.

Nope, not those either.

He felt irritation at not being able to find anything bubble at the bottom of his belly. Looking around his surroundings brought slight concern as well. He had passed that tree earlier…right? Oh no, what if he couldn't find his way back? He groaned as he realized that if he was lost he would never hear the end of it from the teme.

"Hello" a soothing voice spoke, prompting Naruto to jump into the air in surprise that he was no longer alone. He turned embarrassedly to face a woman that began giggling at his actions. His face heated up as he realized she sounded like bells.

"Oh, hey" he spoke awkwardly giving her a wave as she began to make her way over. She had on a long white sundress with short curly blonde hair and warm brown eyes. She smiled fully showing off her pearly whites. Naruto was amazed, she was so pretty, kind of like a princess or something.

"My name is Kairi, and you are?" Naruto realized the woman gave off a soothing feeling and he wondered if this was how it felt when you were with your mother.

"Naruto Uzumaki at your service!" he cheesed back, prompting another lovely giggle from the woman.

"Naruto," she drawled before nodding in affirmation, "I like it, that's a good name" He blushed in response as he took her outreached hand to shake.

"Thanks I like yours too!" He complimented back coolly.

"So Naruto, what brings you out here?"

Naruto grabbed a plant behind his back that was in his basket and his shoved it rudely into the lady's face. "I'm looking for this plant. I found some but I need a lot more."

"Oh those? I know where you can find a bunch." She answered inspecting the plant with a long, hard look.

"Really?" his eyes dazzled at the thought of finally being able to complete his mission.

"Yep, right over that hill there's a whole pasture of them." She assured, squinting her eyes and pointing in the direction. She turned back to him with a smile, to see if he'd like her to lead them there.

"Gee, thanks a bunch! But wait, what are you doing out here?" he asked suspiciously. Being out here alone in the forests was pretty dangerous right? Especially for a civilian woman.

"I'm working, just like you" she responded without missing a beat. Naruto offered to carry her basket and after she relented he began to follow her right up the hill, helping her as she went up. It turned out she was actually pretty clumsy, tripping a few times.

"Really, what do you do?"

"Well my jobs a little different from yours, I provide entertainment." She finally answered, a bit out of breath from walking up the hill. She quietly apologized as she explained she had a bit of a weak body. Naruto assured her it was no problem before asking what he wanted to know.

"What kind?" he asked, not wondering if he was prying too deeply.

"I sing" she marveled proudly throwing her head up in a haughty manner and sticking her hands on her hips.

"Can I hear something?" Came Naruto's response, with anxious blue eyes.

' _In search of new lands, I build a new house, I thatch the house with reed stalks, gathered neatly in bundles. At the stone wall let us celebrate the golden house that was built by a hundred black kites.'_

He didn't even have to ask twice as a beautiful tune filled his ears. He was entranced by Kairi's lovely voice, and then it was cut short. She looked to him expectantly, with a raised brow and cocky grin. Like she knew she was gifted with such a talent.

"You have a beautiful voice…but why do you sound so sad?" Kairi's smile cracked before she put it back in place with a forced grin. Naruto was an expert when it came to faking stuff, so he knew a faker when he saw one.

She slapped his back embarrassed, "Ah, you're looking into things too deeply"

"-_-" Naruto continued to stare at the woman before she gave a deep sigh. They continued to walk and Naruto could finally spot it. The pasture she had been talking about was right in his sights. He refrained from jumping up and down in excitement though as he hoped Kairi would finally speak.

"I lost something important to me, and now I have to work hard to get it back" she finally caved, offering the Uzumaki a small shoulder shrug. Whatever she was going through was her burden to shoulder, and Naruto understood he couldn't dive into a stranger's business.

Naruto could clearly see the boundary, so he would pry no longer. "I wish you best of luck! Though if you ever need my help I'm here, okay?"

"Thank you Naruto, your very kind. But I'm afraid it's something I'll have to do on my own." The boy's cheeks heated up once more as she bent over to shuffle his blond messy hair and give him a small peck to his cheek. He immediately placed a palm to the warm spot on his face, mouth agape at the action.

No one… had ever been so affectionate with him. Usually people drew the line with a quick friendly hug. A kiss to the cheek was something he had never experienced, and Kairi had done it so nonchalantly without knowing what it meant to the boy.

Naruto stared at the woman in a daze as she went through the pasture looking for the plant. Helping him, without asking for anything in return. People he realized…not all of them had ulterior motives. It was just like the old man Teuchi had said.

"NARUTO, I found it!" Kairi shouted over, mouth in a huge smile and arms energetically waving the plant about as she urged him over with impatient eyes. She jumped up and down in excitement, her flowy dress twirling with the wind.

Naruto gave a careful smile back before running over to her.

There was no way he was wrong about this. His gut told him, that this person, was good.

When he was finally done gathering all the plants for his mission he sighed in relief. Now, he could return triumphantly to his friends. He looked to Kairi and for the first time since meeting her, eyed the basket she had in her hands with interest.

"Hey Kairi, what's in there?" she ceased her humming to look down into her basket.

"Oh, some sandwiches for lunch" She smiled cheekily at Naruto, "I made them myself actually, want one?" He graciously took one of the sandwiches, tentatively biting into it. His eyes widened at how good the sandwich was and it was gone in an instant. Then he had another, man this woman was just so nice!

When they got to the edge of the hill they needed to walk down he looked down and closed his eyes in concentration. Upon opening them and looking down the giant hill again he felt his vision blur.

He shook his head defiantly and looked to Kairi's face that was crystal clear one second and blurry the next.

"Kairi, I forgot to ask" he began, wondering why his gut had an ache to it.

"Yes Naruto?" she answered in that sing song voice of hers.

"Where are the people your working for?" he asked looking to her blob of a face. Something was wrong, he knew. He did a quick check of his surroundings but his vision was blurred and his hearing fuzzy. He moved too fast as he looked back to what he believed to be Kairi's moving lips. This prompted a sharp pain in his head to form and he groaned as a result.

"I-I feel funny" was all he got out before he saw darkness.

Eventually, he awakened, and immediately he felt a headache.

In a daze he took in his surroundings.

He was at a camp of sorts, and with each unidentified face his eyes took in he began to grow more fearful. One…two….four…no, seven? He shook his head once in frustration upon realizing he couldn't even count properly. How many were there?

He began to panic once he realized his hands were tied.

The men sat atop logs sharpening their weapons, and he vaguely tasted sake in the air. They were laughing, and some looked over to him with a look he couldn't put his finger on. Fear grew from within upon one of the men looking over and giving him a twisted toothless smile.

Taking in some wagons with supplies he instantly realized these men must be bandits. Though that only answered one of the many questions he had. What was going on? Why was he here? And where had Kairi gone?

"Naruto, I'm so sorry." He turned to his left in the direction of the whisper to take in Kairi's soft brown eyes brimming with tears, what was she so sad about?

"I didn't have a choice, they forced me too and I didn't want to and you were so nice but-" Naruto eyes went from confusion to uncertainty as he heard a flick of metal whizzing through the air. His eyes became alarmed with horror as the woman toppled over onto her stomach showcasing the kunai in her back.

She didn't say anything and all was quiet in the camp for just a moment.

"Kairi?" he finally muttered desperately to her unmoving body. He futilely tried to move over to her, but it was useless as he was bound against something keeping him in place.

He looked around briefly and could finally see Sasuke in the distance with his arm still outreached. Sasuke moved and Naruto could see him and another of his teammates jumbling over to him. The bandits looked to the disturbance and upon seeing the new comer's chaos ensued.

Orders were shouted and all around him the men were running about to grab their weapons, all of them jumping up, readying themselves for a fight. His mind jumbled as he quickly tried to make sense of what was going on.

This was a dream. This was all a dream right? He still felt funny and there was a sharp pain in his head that refused to let him think straight.

"Naruto, are you okay?" Hinata asked distractedly as Sasuke whizzed past the two to engage the bandits. She didn't wait for his response though as she quickly untied him and jumped into the fray, joining Sasuke.

"What?" he whimpered out, though no one was listening. He crawled over to Kairi's still form, eyes closed and mouth still wide from speaking. He shook her once. Then again, and again. Eventually he breathed out in relief when she coughed up blood.

"N-Naruto" she cried out, struggling to utter his very name.

"Kairi" he called out, desperately holding her close as her blood soaked his shirt and then bled through to touch his skin.

 _ **With Sakura**_

She was pissed.

Not just at the damn baka teammate of her's but everything! She was mad at herself for not noticing him disappear. She was angry at how long it took them to find him. She was mad at that woman who had taken advantage of him! And she was mad that Naruto had fallen for it.

When they been scouting the place there was one thing that had puzzled them. How did these low lives manage to capture Naruto? Don't get her wrong, they certainly could use the art of surprise or their numbers to their advantage, but there was simply no way they were capable of taking down their knuckleheaded teammate.

He was an idiot yes, but a strong one.

Eventually they found their answer by ease dropping. The lone woman of the group had gained his trust and poisoned him. The only thing that made her feel better was that all the poison did was simply knock the victim unconscious for a bit. Seeing as Naruto had a higher resistance to those types of things then the average person, he awakened sooner than they had been expecting.

But what pissed her off most of all, was the tiny body Hinata had found with her Byakugan. The Hyuga had been in shambles as she disclosed to Sasuke and herself everything she saw. Though there was nothing they could do for the boy, Hinata had assured. He was already gone. These men had taken an innocent boy's life, and done things to him they didn't want to imagine.

Nothing in that moment made her angrier as she attempted to get herself in control. She had a temper, she knew, and in this moment she wanted nothing more than to make all of those responsible pay.

Sakura felt the chill in the air as night began to creep upon them, and it grew colder. She let out an irritated breath, and pulled a strand of hair behind her ear. Right now she was crouched behind a bush at the perimeter of the camp. She gave herself the job of making sure no one escaped.

"That's some pretty hair you got" a chilling voice made her shudder and eyes almost bulge out of her socket. Immediately she was on her feet, whipping her head around to see a small man eyeing her with hunger. He hesitantly stalked toward her, like she was prey, all while giving her a creepy smile.

She closed her eyes for just a moment, as the man's gold tooth had blinded her. It had been just a second but when she opened them next, he was directly in front of her. She backed away in surprise, tripping on the bush behind her.

She winced as the bushes thorns pierced her skin through her dress. Though she refused to think of the pain, her attention on the man in front of her.

The man chuckled at her clumsiness, looming over her like he was her superior. Sakura was frozen in fear as the man bended down, holding her still with his gaze. He grabbed a loc of her hair and she could smell his foul breath as it touched her skin. "I was right. You hair is even lovelier than our old doll. You can be our new toy" he smiled, bending down to kiss the loc of hair in his grasp.

And then something within her snapped.

All she could hear was the beating of her heart.

It was louder than everything.

Louder than the still forest around her that was usually oh so loud but oh so quiet, all at the same time. Louder than the man's squeals of agony as he pleaded for her to stop. Louder than her left hand squeezing the man's throat as she forcefully held him down. Louder than her fist that pummeled into him again and again as she became more infuriated with each blow. It was louder than the tears running streaks down her face and louder than her own screams of rage.

 _Thump_

 _Thump_

 _Thump_ her chest went as she swore at any moment it would burst from her chest. The sound wouldn't stop, and she continued to plunge her fist into the man's face repeatedly but the sound just wouldn't stop!

Make it stop! Make it stop!

She just wanted the sound to stop!

She rose her fist high into the air to hit the man once more. She felt a strange force overcome her and all that could be heard was a sickening crunch when she brought her fist in for the blow.

…and then it was quiet.

The sound was gone.

She sighed in relief, her chest breathing in and out heavily as she felt her sanity come back. She opened her eyes and that relief quickly turned to mix of disgust and terror as she looked to the man's face.

"W-what?" she asked as she looked to her fist and then to the man's face that was no longer recognizable. It didn't even look like a face anymore. You couldn't see his mouth or nose or eyes, or anything. It was just an oozy pile of skin and blood.

She looked to her bloody, bruised hand again and back to the 'face'.

What…did she do?

 _ **With Sasuke**_

Sasuke reached into his weapon's pouch and clenched his teeth in irritation when the shuriken he threw missed his intended target. These were actual people, he reminded himself, they moved and while they had slower reflexes than ninja's, they were capable of dodging.

Their bandits, and yet they aren't to be underestimated. In the academy it was taught that a genin could quickly lose its life if they were to underestimate the nasty thieves.

Which is almost what happened to the idiot of the team.

Sasuke allowed himself one glare in Naruto's direction to see the damn guy cradling that woman. He didn't have time to wonder what the hell he was doing.

Right now he was angry, and if he dared to admit, a bit disappointed.

The little fool got caught, becoming nothing more than their deadweight. If he was going to cause problems like this, and on simple missions at that, then maybe he didn't want him on this team. Regardless, the dobe better not be like this on any other mission they have.

He returned his attention back to the camp, looking around the chaos that had ensued. Some men were packing up, trying to use this time as a means to escape. He smirked, when Sakura stopped one in particular, taking him by surprise, his body slowly slumped to the ground, unconscious.

Sakura's behavior was surprising, but he supposed after what they learned, it shouldn't be.

Sasuke took out two more shuriken and hmph'd in success when both hit his planned charge square on a leg and one on his back. The man yelled out in surprise, tumbling over, losing the feeling in his leg needing to walk. Sasuke slowly waltzed up to the man pitifully attempting to crawl away.

These were bandits. They preyed upon unsuspecting civilians and unprotected towns. They stole, they raped, and they pillaged and killed. So by that means they were bad men…threats to Konoha. They all had to be eliminated and so, they would. Sasuke would make this quick.

The man turned his head slowly and upon seeing Sasuke gaining on him he started to whimper and crawl faster. It was all just so…disgusting to him. Sasuke took his foot and forcefully turned the man on his back.

"please don't, please" the man whimpered out, tears falling down his face pathetically. He was a grown man, two times Sasuke's size, and yet in his final moments he was afraid of a child. He was pathetic. But, that wasn't what angered Sasuke the most.

"Why are you crying?" Sasuke tilted his head in confusion as he demanded the whimpering man to answer, though he kept shaking his head and muttering 'no' over and over again.

Sasuke took his foot, and placed the weight of his body upon the man's chest making him cough out in pain. "Why are you crying?" Sasuke seethed out, once more.

"Please, don't" the man begged once more. Why was he begging for his life? Surely he knew what must be done here, no?

"Stop it" Sasuke demanded angrily, pulling out a kunai from his pouch. Upon seeing the weapon the man began to wiggle under Sasuke's foot, his cries becoming louder and louder. To get him to stay still Sasuke sat upon his chest, straddling him with his thighs.

"Stop crying" he demanded stabbing the man once in the chest. When he could still hear cries he stabbed again, and then again, and again until the man finally grew silent. Wearily, he stood up from the dead man, and wiped the blood that had splattered on his face.

"You don't get to cry" Sasuke replied hatefully as he walked away from the lifeless body.

 _ **With Hinata**_

Hinata took in the area with her byakugan with chills in her spine. They had been careless, all of them. In her opinion it took them far too long to notice Naruto had been gone for longer than he should. Then to her utter horror she had learned that wherever he was, he was out of range of her Byakugan.

Her range was a whopping 50 meters, and that distance was the length of a stick compared to her father or the older, more experienced members of her clan.

Upon noticing his disappearance they had been desperately looking for him since, and for the first time, Hinata had felt blind. They weren't a tracking squad, and with him out of the range of her Byakugan they were at lost at where to start.

But be it by pure luck, when her eyes were so sore she didn't think she could keep her dojutsu activated any longer, and they felt helpless beyond belief, she had seen it.

Several men dragging the blond's body away to her surprise and horror. The only thing calming her in that moment was seeing the blond's heart beating, though slowly. There was a woman with them too, she had noticed. She was a tiny thing and was clearly uncomfortable as the men cat called at her and some bold ones smacked her on her buttocks.

Then, she lost her vision. Against her will her byakugan deactivated itself as she was out of chakra. She had cried out in pain as the stinging sensation took over her senses. It was a feeling she hoped to avoid, that always happened when she pushed past her limits. She had after all had it activated for hours without end. They didn't take a break, none of them could even considering the thought with their teammate missing.

At that point they followed the men back to their camp, created a plan, and chose to attack when the time was right. Then they had seen it, the small child, left to rot alone, and denied a proper burial.

She shivered and held back her tears.

Hinata counted off the people in her head. There had been ten men, so including the woman, eleven people they had to deal with.

"It's a Hyuga" one of three men behind her announced to his two other companions. They were all of average height, with muscular builds. One man cautiously took a step back, and Hinata's eyes narrowed when he took another.

No, she was not in a generous mood. She turned around to face the men fully, and gave off her best impression of the infamous Hyuga 'scowl'.

These men had been planning to hurt Naruto, her precious friend. None of them would get away. None of them were allowed to leave this place with their lives.

She would not give mercy.

She brought her attention first to the man who boldly took a step forward. He had stringy dirty blond hair and an ugly cocky grin. He had a bat hanging comfortably on his shoulder, his obvious weapon of choice.

"Aren't you a cute little thing?" he spoke mockingly, licking his lips in excitement. Then he began running forward and brought his bat high in the air in preparation to hit her. When he reached her she swiftly dodged to the left, kicking the man in his exposed side.

When he threw his bat to her side, she bended back watching the bat slide across where her face had just been. Quickly, she jumped up cutting off the pressure points in the man's arms, making him lose his ability to grip his precious weapon.

The man reacted surprisingly fast to losing the feeling in his arm by attempting to punch her, but she needed to get this over with. The other two thieves had run off frightened, and now she would have to give chase. So, she took her palmed hand, brought it back, and connected it to the man's stomach in a devastating blow.

He coughed out blood, and Hinata frowned distastefully when it landed on her precious kimono. Then he fell to the ground in a heap, albeit still alive.

 _If they wish to fight anyway, they are either a fool or worthy_ , she thought as she inspected the man's face. Tan skin, several scars, and wide frightened chocolate eyes. Her face was carefully blank and she felt strangely calm in the moments she readied herself.

"Fool" she decided as she forcefully lodged her chakra coated finger tips into the screaming man's throat.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The camp was trashed.

Several bodies littered the ground and all to be heard was a hiss from the fire trying to come back to life. Night was upon the children and the only light offered to them was the flashes from the fire every time it gathered enough gas for a spark.

It was deathly quiet, as none of the children spoke to each other. None daring to say aloud what they had done. But the evidence was all around them, and yet they felt no remorse for their actions, not in that moment.

"Hn" Sasuke called out in surprise, as he kicked a can on the ground, effectively becoming the first to break the silence.

He had made his way over to the two girls who were eyeing Naruto's slumped form, still hunched over near the woman's body.

"What is he doing?" Sakura asked, irritation clear as day. Her kimono dress was damp, not with blood, but as a result of having to wash out said blood. So, she was in wet clothes in chilling temperature. Which meant her patience was running thin.

No one answered her, and the three walked together to meet their fourth teammate.

"Naruto?" Hinata called out hesitantly, eyebrows knitting together in concern. His back was facing them, and his body was unmoving.

"Dobe" Sasuke finally stepped forward to grab Naruto's shoulder in attempt to turn him around to face them. Though, Naruto smacked his hand away and the group blinked when they heard a growl rise from the blond's throat.

"What's your deal?" Sasuke demanded with a frown. He marched around the woman's body so he could see Naruto's face.

"My deal?" came the snarky response followed by a sarcastic laugh. Naruto rose his head to meet Sasuke's glare head on, "You murdered her" he accused with hateful blue eyes.

"I did" Sasuke admitted, raising an eyebrow for the point Naruto was trying to make.

Naruto shakily stood up, pointing a finger at Sasuke "You bastard! Why would you kill her?" his voice cracking as it rose with anger.

"No threat lives" Sasuke answered coolly. He turned his head, irritated at Naruto and where he was trying to take the conversation.

"SHE WASN'T A THREAT! SHE DIDN'T HAVE TO DIE, SHE WASN'T A BAD PERSON SHE WAS GOOD, SHE WAS-" Naruto exploded shouting in a huff.

"Baka" Sasuke shot back.

The blond breathed in once through his nose and pounced.

Sasuke who hadn't been expecting an attack was grabbed and pulled to the ground. The two boys rolled along the ground until Hinata cried out in surprise rushing over to break them up.

"Stop it!" she yelled until finally, she teared the two boys off each other.

Sasuke wiped the blond forming in the corner of his mouth, "You crazy little-"

"I watched her die." Naruto interrupted, sliding to the ground as tears swelled in his eyes. "She was a good person and you just went and killed her. She died in my arms" he whispered through unshed tears.

"But we don't know that" Sakura argued, her cheeks stained red from a mixture of coldness and rage.

Naruto looked up to see his angry pinkette teammate and for once, he didn't care what she thought. "What do you know? I actually met her, and she was nice. She was so ni-"

"Naruto" her voice like steel though barely above a whisper. "If there is doubt, we eliminate." She hissed through her teeth, spit flying out as she tried with little patience to get her point across.

"No, she was a good person, I know it" He affirmed once more. He had trusted his gut, so why did this happen? His gut had told him that she was a good person so why did she have to die? Why couldn't he protect her? Why couldn't his teammates see what he saw?

"Show him" Sakura ordered to Hinata as against Naruto's will she grabbed him by the arm and hauled him up. She began pulling him in the direction Hinata lead them to. The walk was short, and once they stumbled upon a small tent the group stopped. Hinata stood off to the side, her eyes downcast as if she didn't want to see something.

Sasuke marched over to the tent and pulled back the flap, Sakura in tune shoving Naruto into the entryway of the tent. Naruto held his mouth as he kept in the vomit threatening to escape. Instantly he was by the small boy's battered body looking for signs of life. He looked back frantically for his teammates wondering why they wouldn't help.

"He's gone, Naruto" Hinata responded pitifully.

Defeated, he stood up, running out of the tent needing to be away from the smell of rotting flesh. Though his teammates were quickly on his heels.

"Don't you get it? Whatever they did to that boy they would have done to you!" Sakura called after him.

"No" he shook his head, not wanting to hear the words as realization finally started to settle in.

"She took advantage of your trust! Why can't you see that Naruto?" Sakura continued.

"No, no, no!" he repeated again and again.

"She lured you here, to these men! That was her job, to gain your trust and it worked! She freaking drugged you!"

"NO!" he screamed out in frustration, pulling his hair.

He turned to face Sakura, red in the face and ready to protest. Then he paused as he saw his other two teammates flanking her sides. Then he realized, they were backing her up.

They agreed with her.

Hinata looked disappointed and Sasuke had a blank, disapproving face.

It was in this moment that Naruto realized he was the least ready of them all to become a shinobi.

"I-" he stuttered out.

The group froze as a weak moan filled their ears. They looked to one another and then around the small camp. But all around them was darkness and still, lifeless bodies, they couldn't pinpoint the noise.

"Hinata" Sasuke instructed immediately. His posture was tense, awaiting any possible threats or attacks.

"He's still alive" she responded instantly, her veins pulsing and finger pointing to a particular man near a tree.

"I'll do it" Sakura volunteered drawing a kunai.

"No" Sasuke countered, walking up to Naruto and forcefully grabbing his hand. He planted a kunai into it and gave a glare that told Naruto exactly what he was expected to do.

Naruto's blue eyes went to his hand then to Sasuke's stern glare.

"I-I can't" he finally spoke, his shoulders slumping in defeat.

"Naruto, no threat lives" Hinata spoke sympathetically.

"Do it" Sasuke commanded, forcefully grabbing his shoulders to turn him in the direction of the man and giving him a nudge to start him.

As Naruto made his way over he forced himself to focus on his sandaled feet slowly trudging through the grass. When his sandal stepped on a blade of grass stained with blood he clenched his eyes shut and focused on his breathing.

And then he was there.

He hovered over the huge brawly man, reduced to such a pitiful state. Shuriken's racked his body from his shoulder, his arms and then to his legs. His body was shaking, and he futilely attempted to stay alive as more and more blood poured out of him. This man was huge, and Naruto's mind went back to the small child in the tent.

Anger swelled within at the thought of what this man did to the child.

"Ple-ase" the man croaked out, but by then it was too late, Naruto's blue eyes saw nothing but red as he dug the kunai into the man's chest, and watched the life leave his eyes.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Hours after the sun descended and darkness had come about he jumped from his position where he had been watching, -ready to intervene at any time- and landed in front of his team. None of them chose to acknowledge his presence, their minds were in another place right now.

Naruto looked to be in a daze, his cerulean blue eyes looking at him, but not clearly seeing him. He was far away from reach. Sasuke's face was hardened but from the way he avoided eye contact he knew it was nothing more than a front.

He looked to his left to see Sakura and Hinata huddled together for warmth. Sakura's face was flushed and her emerald eyes cloudy with tears. Kakashi knew she would lose her fight in trying to keep the tears in her eyes. Then there was Hinata, who was in a fetal like position, her head down and long hair hiding her face from his view. Every now and then her body shuddered from the cold, or from crying, perhaps both.

He only had one thought.

He was once again cursed with a kind team.

Shinobi life wasn't meant for children. Eventually they will lose their sense of humanity.

His lone eye narrowed… and he will help them lose it. He felt his stomach tighten as he thought of what to say to them, they were listening but in the state they were in right now they couldn't take too many words. Thinking it over a few minutes he knew simple was best.

They were smart children, so to the point should do.

"This world is kill or be killed, this is your life from here on till you die…so prepare yourself."

No reactions, not that he had been expecting any.

This was a hard time for them, but he couldn't coddle them.

"Get up," He commanded with a chillingly cold voice, "your mission isn't over until you bring the goods to Konoha. When you get back go to sleep, and meet at the training grounds 0600, don't be late" he warned, preparing to jump off into the trees and out of sight of Hinata's Byakugan.

"Now I'm really a monster" Naruto finally spoke to no one in particular. He wanted to protect, but he didn't understand the extent to what those words really meant anymore. He thought to the dead little boy found in the tent. Whatever they had done to him, they were monsters for it.

"Kakashi-sensei, those men were monsters right?" Kakashi could barely make out the words with his whimpering. Naruto wondered briefly when the man had joined them.

"Yes, they were" he finally answered hesitantly.

"But I'm a monster too, so why do I get to live?" Naruto hiccupped between words and finally looked up, tears freely flowing down his face. Nothing made sense to him.

"Because you're our monster and Konoha protects its own"

Naruto's wails escalated, so loud it could shake the forest floors.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Did everything go as planned?"

"Hai, everyone had their first kill today. Sakura discarded of four, Sasuke and Hinata three each and Naruto one. " Kakashi was oh so very tired after what he had witnessed today. The day was long, and the sun peaked in hinting for a new one to begin already.

"You sound troubled, care to share?"

"I miscalculated. I assumed it would be Sakura that would take this the hardest, but it was Naruto. He was…crushed, I've never seen him like that. I didn't realize it, but he's the deadweight of the team."

"I see. Well, it will only get worse from here. You know what to do"

"Yes, Hokage-sama"

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Thanks a bunch for reading and I hope you enjoyed! Please let me know what your thoughts on everyone's first kill! Tell me, whose first kill was your personal favorite if you had any! I'm really looking forward to some feedback, because my story is finally rolling. Since I'm so excited I'm probably going to start typing right now! The next chapter (don't quote me on this) this should be out in three weeks.

See you then!


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